The Real Reason I Teach
by Spade1403
Summary: Lucy has always been a prodigy, getting straight A's, graduating high school at 14. She is now a college professor, and her life as one proves to be full of many life-changing encounters, love, friendship, and most importantly, an adventure. (This is rated M for language and some inappropriate scenes. Nothing sexual or super inappropriate)
1. Chp 1: Prodigy

Fairy Tail Fic

Romance/Adventure/ Friendship

Lucy: 18

Natsu: 19

—

Lucy always knew she was seen as the light of her parent's world.

She always had gotten straight A's as she grew up, and for that reason, school's had decided to advance her to the next level, high school. She ended up graduating high school at the tender age of 14, which was very odd to the students around her. Heck, she went through puberty through her college years!

As she grew up, her teachers and parents settled her in becoming a college professor at the age of 18, almost 19. Since English was the subject all her teachers believed she excelled at the most, they decided she would take up the subject as her teaching subject. She also had a passion for it, unbeknownst to others. Her passion when it came to writing was like no other; all her words flowed with rhythm and everything she wrote seemed to be like music, smoothly working together and making her point clear. So, at her age of 18, Lucy was Professor Lucy at Fairy Tail College.

Now, Lucy always found it weird that she was teaching kids older than her. Some were her age, but most were almost 20, which made Lucy nervous, knowing she younger than most her students. Respect was definitely an area of concern since she was used to the elderly respect she gave in her youth, but now the tables had turned.

It was 6:00am as Lucy got ready to go to her job, she laid out a paper-white cotton blouse with ruffles lining her row of buttons, and paired that with a dark grey pencil skirt that went just below her knees. She finished the outfit by placing shiny black heels with a pointed tip right by her outfit.

"Alrighty, Lucy, you got this. Another day of your life. You can do this."

She then left to take her daily shower, and used strawberry scented shampoo + conditioner along with some vanilla scented body wash. '_Goodness, this is the best,' _she thought as she loved the feeling of hot water on her body, and spent another 20 minutes showering until she convinced herself to get out. She thoroughly dried herself as she lathered citrus body lotion on herself, starting with her arms.

After she finished, she put on her undergarments and dried her hair. '_What should I do with my hair? Straighten it? Curl it? Leave it? Just brush it?'_

She opted to put it into a bun to not have to deal with it, and ended up contemplating whether she wanted to wear makeup to school. '_I've never put it on, should I? Will kids say something? Maybe some mascara? I bought it, might as well.'_

She settled for a little bit of liner and mascara, and decided it was natural enough so no one would notice. She put on her outfit, and once she decided she was ready, she grabbed her usual morning black coffee, keys, and bag to leave the house. She entered her black Honda Civic with a cloth beige interior. She settled in and started to drive away to Fairy tail College.

As she arrived, she realized it was 7:00am. '_Perfect, here on time, again. This should be a good impression'_

She opened her classroom with her set of keys and sat at her desk until he students showed up.

In her rather large white-painted classroom, she told the students sitting in rows that grew in height the further you went up, almost like a theater setting, to take out their textbooks.

"Alright class, welcome! Today we will be working on writing proper analysis papers and how to develop them. Now p-please take out your textbooks and open to page 137. We will be doing- Oh _shit_! I forgot to take attendance. Ms. Wilson will have my head." Lucy sighed. Today was already off to a bad start. '_I shouldn't have cursed, that's so unprofessional, and forgetting attendance? Damn it, Lucy, do your job right!'_

It was 7:35am, meaning class started 10 minutes ago. '_Shit, I started too late. How did I stop keeping track of time?'_ As she took attendance, she noticed the lack of one of her most _lovely_ students, Natsu Dragneel.

"Anyone seen Mr. Dragneel today?" She asked, knowing the answer already.

"Nope, probably tripped on his way to the restroom if you ask me," Kiki giggled. Some student joined in her laughter. '_Knowing him, he just might've…'_

"Ugh, that boy doesn't realize how much this affects his grade…" Lucy mumbled, knowing he'll be late.

"Okay, as I was s-saying, take out your-"

"I'm HERE! Sorry Luce, I didn't mean to-"

"Oh, Mr. Dragneel! You _finally_ decided to show up on time! Here, sit there and _please_, pay attention. I will mark you tardy," Lucy exclaimed, tired of his antics. '_I probably shouldn't be frustrated with a student, but every single day! How will this look to the principal?'_

"But Luce, I actually have a reason to be late! Gramps said we have off today for- wait, for _what_ again? I swear he was yappin' about somethin'…" Natsu mumbled, trying to remember.

"Oh, I can't believe it, that's today… Alright, class dismissed, please check your homework on Canvas, and Mr. Dragneel, a word." '_I can't believe I fucking forgot this meeting that I have been trying to mentally prepare for for MONTHS! How? I can't believe myself.'_

The class quickly packed up and left, and Lucy swore she heard some kid talking about wanting to go get high. '_Looks like my influence matters…'_

"What's up, Luce?" Natsu asked as Lucy snapped outta her thinking. Natsu had known Lucy ever since she started working at that college, which was about a year ago. He had gotten to know her enough to call her, "Luce."

'_Luce…the first nickname I've ever been given.'_

"Mr. Dragneel, I can't remember the last time you showed up to class on time- oh wait, it was _never_. Don't you understand that your grade is hurting? You have a D in this class for christ's sake! If you are trying to major in pyrotechnics, then please at least try to pass English!"

"Luce, why do you still call me Mr. Dragneel? We have known each other for a while, you'd think you would drop the formalities. Also, I thought having a D was fine, it can stand for Dragneel! Plus, I don't see the point of taking English when I'm trying to major in Pyrotechnics!"

Lucy face palmed. She didn't think it would be that hard to speak to the idiot, much less try to get him to understand.

"Mr. Drag- _Natsu_, please start seeing me after class from now on. You have a break after class, don't you? You will spend that time with me until you fix your grade. And _no_, just because your last name starts with D doesn't justify your grade."

"Really? I get to spend more time with you? Hell yeah! But can it be every other day? I have something to do sometimes during the week"

Lucy promptly blushed a very Natsu-hair colored pink.

"No, it is _not_ for playtime, Mr. Dr- _Natsu, _and no, Natsu, what could possibly be so important that you can't come in everyday? Your grade says otherwise. Also, it's _Miss_ Ashley to you! Why can't you _ever_ remember to address me with respect? Especially at school! Now, please remember to contact me regarding your tutoring after you return home." Lucy turned to walk out.

"Hey, _wait_! I'm older than you! Seniority privileges!"

"Nope, I'm your teacher, punk. I'm also surprised you know what the word privilege is."

"_Hey_, that's not- wait!" He ran after her, trying to figure out a compromise.

"Please, Luce, I really have something important to do. You gotta understand!"

Lucy contemplated a little, knowing she would end up giving in. She sighed, and said, "fine," in the most annoyed tone she could muster all while resisting the urge to smile.

Natsu immediately proceeded to hug her, and picked her up off the ground, twirling her, saying, _"thank you!"_ over and over again. Lucy blushed a very healthy pink color and proceeded to try to peel off the foreign human off of her.

"Natsu!" She hissed, "you can't just hug your teacher! Off!"

"Sorry," he said, smiling sheepishly, "it was in the spur of the moment."

" '_Spur of the moment?' "_

"Fine, I really need to go now, Principal Makarov was adamant on meeting me for some reason."

"Alright, thanks! You're the best, Luce!"

Lucy, again, blushed, because that was probably the most genuine complement she had ever gotten, and from a _boy_, nonetheless.

She walked out the door, wondering what the Principal had in store for her. '_Am I fired? Did I do something? Did I beat Natsu too much? What if he found someone more qualified? No that can't be, I'm VERY qualified…right?'_ She slowly felt the anxiety creeping up on her. She started panicking, and immediately reached into her purse with shaky hands for her water and meds.

"Ah, Lucy dear! Come in!"

"Yes, sir, you called?"

"Yes! I wanted to ask you something, if you don't mind. This is pretty big, so please, take your-" He noticed her sweaty forehead, and asked, "Lucy, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, principal. Thank you for your concern, now you called me?" '_That was too close"_

"Ah, yes, Lucy…"

Lucy was getting more anxious as the seconds ticked by. '_Why won't he just _**_speak_**_?'_

"So, Lucy, I have a request. You know your student, Natsu, right?" She simply nodded, wondering where the hell this was going.

"Well, I'm going to have to ask if you could put him under your care. As in move in with him." Lucy blinked once. Then again. And then the info settled.

Her eyes bulged, and she proceeded to say, "…what?"


	2. Chp 2:Developments

Lucy could not believe her ears. She just dealt with that fucktard, but now she had to _live _with him?! '_I can't! He'll find ou-'_

"Lucy? Are you thinking?"

"Principal, I can't possibly take Natsu in! He is older than me for Mavis' sake! And let's not forget he is my _student_!"

"Lucy dear, hear me out. I am about to reveal some sensitive and confidential info, so please swear to secrecy."

"Fine, I'll hear you out, but please promise you won't force me?" Lucy pleaded, to which Makarov nodded to and continued.

"Natsu has been having a hard time adapting to college and is especially failing your class. He, out of every teacher he talks about, seems to be fond of you, Lucy. I think you will do him some good, as a person and student. He is very oblivious to many things, sweetie. He has never once thought of girls in his life, so I don't believe you have to worry about that. He has gone through some very serious things in his life, and those things could potentially affect him in the future. Seeing you are of a similar background, you will do him some good. You can help heal him, Lucy. That tough front he puts on, it's just a façade. He's hurting Lucy." Makarov explained, stunning Lucy.

'_Similar background? How? Has Natsu been that hurt? Have I aided in that pain he felt everyday? Fond of me? What?'_ Lucy couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with the information she just got.

"The only reason this was legal was because you aren't an age like 40. That would be a problem. You are the same age, less no? It's like having a roommate, except he is your student. Lucy, you know he has so much potential. This is a little sudden, so I will give you two weeks to decide. If you were to say no, that is fine. Just know this is your call. I do hope you consider, though. That is all. Questions?"

Lucy took a breath in. _Living with Natsu_. She exhaled. **_Living_**_ with Natsu._ Slowly, she replied with, "I'll think about it."

"Atta girl, I knew you would. Please understand I'm not like Mira, I wouldn't try hooking you up or something."

Lucy blushed for the third time that day, and she shuddered thinking about Mira finding out about Makarov's request.

"So, Lucy, you would be living with him for maybe 6 months, just until he graduates his freshman year here. I will send you the information regarding his home location and other relevant info tonight."

"I haven't even said yes!" Lucy pointed. '_I haven't even agreed! This is too much! Doesn't anyone here have an idea just how WRONG it sounds for an 18 year old girl to live with a 19 year old boy?!'_

"Oh, right, sorry. I got a little carried away. I have practically raised Natsu since he was 4. I just became happy for him. Pardon, and please, think about it. You'll heal wounds of his he didn't even know he had. Lucy dear, would you like to know why I hired you, despite your age?"

Lucy was genuinely surprised. She thought anyone would take her because of her grades, so she just figured that he said yes because of that.

But she couldn't help but wonder. "…why?"

"Lucy, you are so young, only 17 when you started here. You have so much left to do with your life, so much to learn. When I first met you, I could feel your nervousness and anxiety. I knew you weren't ready to enter this portion of your life so early. But, when I realized you needed a chance, so gave you one. I thought I made the wrong decision at first, since you were so nervous, but then I saw how close you got to Natsu. He trusts you a lot more than you think he does. He cares about you, Lucy."

Lucy flushed. '_No way…he can't care about me… really?'_

"Give me two weeks. I'll make up mind in the time. I should probably keep this from Natsu, I assume?"

"Most definitely. He has no filter, that boy…"

Lucy slightly chuckled at that statement, '_He really doesn't...'_

_"_Now, you can get going Lucy. I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you, and have a nice night."

"Goodbye, sir. You too."

Lucy headed out, as as she did, she noticed it was 9 in the morning. '_How in the world did I take two hours with Makarov?'_

Deciding that she should just go home, she went to her classroom to retrieve some of her stuff to make her way out, but as she was leaving, she noticed a student in one of the chairs. '_Funny, I swear I thought I locked this room…'_

As she got closer, she realized the idiot was none other than Natsu.

"_Natsu!"_ Lucy yelled.

"WHAT, who- oh, Luce. Hey."

"What the _hell_ are you doing? Why are you sleeping in my classroom?"

"I got tired Luce! I didn't know what to do while waiting for you, so I stayed and slept."

'_He waited for me…?'_

"That's besides the point!" Lucy knew this would go nowhere, so she said, "What do you want?"

"Can I come over? I have nothing to do since my only class got canceled today."

Lucy knew she should say no, and she knew it was wrong, especially after what she was asked earlier. But, she was lonely today and extremely tired, so she gave in.

"…as long as you don't make a mess." Lucy sighed.

"YES! Thanks a bunch, Luce!" Lucy blushed.

Lucy walked out of the classroom and went to her car. As she did, she noticed Natsu wasn't there. '_Where…?'_

"Natsu? Where did you go?" Lucy suddenly became worried, and she tried looking for him, and when she didn't find him, her anxiety grew worse.

"Natsu! Where are you?! Come on, n-not funny!" Lucy said, heavily breathing. She could feel her panic attack rising, and when she reached for her bag, she realized she left it in the car.

"N-Natsu! Please!" '_What happened? How did I lose him? Why am I freaking out? It's only Natsu! I just ate my meds! How in the world?'_

_"_Hey, Luce! Sorry, I dropped something, couldn't find- _Lucy?!_ What happened?! Are you okay?! Lucy, speak to me! Lucy!"

He had found her on the ground, crouching, holding her head in her hands, crying. _'Lucy..?'_

"Lucy, breathe. I'm right here. It's okay. Shushhh, it's okay, I'm here.." Soothed Natsu as he held her against his chest, as she surprisingly started calming down.

"…Natsu?"

"Luce, it's okay, what happened?"

"I-I don't know, I got worried, I was looking for you for a while, but when I couldn't find you, I panicked…" Lucy said, ending it with a mumble.

"Shush, it's okay. Here- I'll drive. You calm down, sit next to me, 'kay?"

She simply nodded and did as told. Natsu sat in the driver's seat and settled. Lucy sat next to him and just looked out the window. '_How did I lose myself there? How? Over Natsu…'_

_"_Lucy."

Lucy knew Natsu was serious when he said her full first name. She knew he was going to ask about the panic attack.

"Are you okay? You really scared me, you know?"

Lucy blinked. The first thing people usually asked her was, '_what's wrong with you?'_ She wasn't used to such… concern.

"I'm fine, Natsu. Thank you, and sorry, I shouldn't have panicked like that-"

"Lucy, why are you apologizing? How can you apologize for something you can't control? It's okay. I just wish you would have given me a heads up, you know? I really got scared, thinking you were hurt."

Lucy thought about it, and she realized she should have said something about it. She suddenly felt very guilty. Impulsively, she took his right hand that he wasn't using and intertwined her fingers with his.

"I'm sorry, Natsu. Forgive me?"

"You know I do, but seriously, tell me these things."

"If I make it up with a movie night, is that good enough?"

"Only if you add a sleepover to it."

"Deal."

Lucy and Natsu had known each other for a year, but sometimes, it felt like they have known each other their entire lives. They were best friends. As much as Lucy would never admit it, she cared for him. But the idea of living with him was just ridiculous.

"You have the snacks, Luce?"

"You know I do."

It was about 7:30 pm at night, and Lucy had changed into her PJ's, consisting of blue cotton shorts and a white tank top with spaghetti straps. She wore some white/gray striped fuzzy socks to make it extra comfy. Her hair was braided, with some strands left out.

Natsu also wore his night outfit, which was a pinkish-red short-sleeved t-shirt and gray sweatpants. Natsu had his hair spiky, as usual.

"What movies do you wanna watch Luce? I'm thinking Happy Death Day, Jigsaw, the Conjuring 1 and 2, and Light's out!"

"Natsu, they are all scary! You know how I am with scary movies!"

"Relax, Luce! It'll be fun way to end our Friday night!"

"_Natsu!_ I can't handle scary movies!" Lucy yelled as she have him the dirtiest glare she could to prove her point.

"You know, sometimes I just don't get _why_ you can't handle them. Luce, you're so scary you could star in your own horror movie and makes tons!" Natsu joked as he ran away from the fuming Lucy.

"_Natsu Dragneel, I will shove my foot up your- _Hey, get back here, asshole!"

They chased each other all around Lucy's huge single family home that she lived in, alone.

'_This is your home, Lucy, and it should be fairly close to college's you can work at. Make us proud. Now, I will keep in touch to keep you informed about your marriage in approximately four years. In the meantime, I have to find suitable business partners who can make our railroad company thrive in the time to come. Don't disappoint me.'_

Lucy chased Natsu until she physically couldn't, and she figured it was probably because Natsu is was _monkey._ She saw him trying to climb up the side of her house to get through her second floor window, which was open, and he _succeeded_.

"N-Natsu, I swear," she breathed, "I will murder you, you retard."

"Luce, you know, with the amount you eat, I don't even know _how_ you managed to chase me like for that long."

"Natsu, you are treading on some _very_ fine lines right now! I swear, I will _cut off your-"_

Lucy was interrupted by the sound of her phone, and when she went to go pick it up, she hissed, "Natsu, if you even _touch_ anything here, I won't hesitate to kick you out."

As Natsu gulped in understanding, Lucy noticed the phone call was from her only other best friend, Levy McGarden.

"Lu-chan! Hey! Wanna hang today? I just finished work, and I was heading back home until I realized you should be off too! It's the weekend now!"

"Levy, I would love to, but I'm a bit- _occupied._"

"Say what? How are you- _oh_. Natsu?"

Levy didn't even need Lucy to yes anything to figure out Natsu was giving her trouble. As much as Levy would kick his ass to the next week, she couldn't help but smile at Natsu's antics. He really was good for Lucy, and she hadn't seen Lucy smile like she does now since-

"So Levy, I'll get back to you tomorrow? Wanna go to the mall tomorrow? I just received my pay, so I think it's time to go shopping! I heard there is a new mall open East of Magnolia."

"Yes! I am so in! I just got paid too, and I really need a wardrobe update. So, I'll pick you up tomorrow at 10?"

"You know it, see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Lu!"

With that, Lucy ended her phone call and looked over to where Natsu was. He was sprawled over her bed, and she couldn't help but giggle and sigh at him. He really was a child sometimes, and Lucy was more than happy to look after him.

"So, Lucy, we need to talk."

He got up, and he sat on the edge of the bed towards the foot board. He patted the area in front of him to signal Lucy to sit. Lucy was _not_ expecting Natsu to become so serious so quickly. She didn't even know what prompted his sudden interest in becoming serious, but when was, it usually was important.

Deciding to put her serious face on, she sat down and answered, "Yes Natsu? What's up?"

"So, earlier. Why didn't you tell me?"

Lucy didn't need clarification to know what he was referring to. She knew she should have told him, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a little angry that he was being so demanding right now.

"Natsu, I'm sorry. I should have told you. I just didn't think it was very necessary, especially considering you are my student-"

"Bullshit! I am your best friend, Lucy! You need to tell me these things, and I don't give a damn if you're my professor, you still are my friend Lucy! I want to be able to help you! You know how _scared_ I got when you were on the ground, crying? You can't do that to me! I have been trying to not act pissed, but Lucy, you really an idiot sometimes!" Natsu firmly stated, realizing he sounded angry.

He immediately regretted his words, and looked up at her face, and instead of finding an upset one, he saw her _seething_.

"Natsu, you _asshole_! I was panicking! How was I not supposed to when_ you_ went missing? I didn't know what happened! Now you come to my place, and have the _audacity_ to yell at _me and _call me an _idiot?_ Just _who_ do you _think_ you are, Dragneel?" Lucy accused, poking her finger in Natsu's chiseled chest repetitively.

"Lucy, you are an idiot! I'm your best friend, Natsu Dragneel! What happens if you panic outside without me or Levy there, huh? How am I supposed to help you when I don't even know what the _fuck_ is happening?"

Lucy remained silent, her anger slowly leaving her. '_He was concerned for me, this entire time, and I just yelled at him.'_

"N-Natsu, I'm sorry, I was wrong. I-I didn't realize…"

'_Lucy, why are on the ground? That is a _**_very_**_ unladylike thing to do, get up immediately. You are dirtying your clothes, and you are causing a scene. Wipe your tears and save it for when there is no one around.'_

Lucy went and hugged him, and pulled him close to her body. He was stiff for a second, but ended up giving in, enveloping her in his arms. '_She is so tiny and fragile, almost as if I could break her.'_

"Lucy," he whispered in her hair, "you know I care about you. I was just worried. I'm sorry."

Lucy couldn't help but smile, and she started to cry silently. She ended up pulling away with Natsu's arms still around her. She breathed in, '_you are always tarnishing our family name,' _she breathed out. She was ready to tell him.

"Natsu, I want to share with you a bit of my history. Listen to me?"

"Of course, I'm all ears."

"Okay, so it started when I was 4…"

'_Lucy dear! Come downstairs! Look at this lovely dress Virgo tailored for you. Go say thank you to Aunty Virgo.' Lucy's mom said as she examined the dress._

_'Yes mommy! Coming!' Little Lucy said, excited to see her new dress._

_'Okay mom, I'll go, I'll be back in about an hour mommy. Is Aunty Virgo outside? Can I go to her place for today?'_

_'Of course, my little star. Be back in time for dinner, though. I have to run an errand with your father. Let Virgo know so she can drop you off accordingly.'_

_'Yes, mommy.'_

_Lucy ran to Virgo, who was waiting outside with her car. When she saw Lucy, she immediately brightened up. 'Princess!'_

As Lucy explained, she was cut off my Natsu, who responded with, "Lucy, you don't need to tell me. I can feel you shaking. Let me know when you are ready, okay? Let's call it a night. I gotta go, Gray texted asking for some help with his car. I promise I'll listen without interruption when you are ready. Okay?"

Lucy could see the disappointment present on Natsu's face. She knew he was upset that she was hesitating with him, but as he walked away, she couldn't get up. She couldn't find the strength to tell him, '_it's okay, I'm ready.' _She watched him leave, and he sunk onto her bed, crying at her pathetic self.

**Author Note: Hey guys! This is my first time writing, so the chapters may be kinda small since I'm still trying to get the hang of this. Please let me know what I can improve on since I am trying to figure this all out. I also may upload erratically since I'm trying to find my rhythm in how I'll manage this. Please, respectful criticism is welcomed and and questions, I'll answer when I can!"**


	3. Chapter 3: Mall?

**Author Note: Hey guys! I know, I posted two chapters and haven't said much else just yet. So, my schedule is a little full, and by a little, I mean A LOT. So, I'm trying to find my balance with posting and life, and so far, it is a little erratic. Bear with me, I'll try my very best to post once or twice a week, and I'm thinking every Monday. It depends on what I have done. Also, some clarification with my story, I had made it so Natsu and Lucy knew each other beforehand, so there is no build up to their friendship. I felt like saving myself the trouble of having their friendship build up, so I just made it this way. Also, I'm planning on having this be a 20-ish chapter story, so maybe more or maybe less. **

**Also, as I describe Lucy's clothing for the mall, here are some links to refer to as I describe them, so you guys have a better idea as to what I'm talking about!**

**Dress — **** search?newwindow=1&safe=active&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS807US807&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=6amOXL-Foqf_Qao7aHIBA&q=mustard+cotton+short+dress&oq=mustard+cotton+short+dress&gs_l=img.3...29021.29825..30015...0.0...1...1.. 8X8deio#imgrc=CBF3z0XYjwO0BM:**

**Shoes — **** search?newwindow=1&safe=active&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS807US807&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=CKqOXOrbMsWzggeLp53QBw&q=thigh+high+black+boots&oq=thigh+high+black+&gs_l=img.1.0.0l10.110592.114721..115673...1.0..0.120.1177.17j1...1...1..gws-wiz-img...0i67j0i10i24.C4er0KOjTMQ#imgrc=3Vsk3plBPFxdmM:**

**Earrings — **** search?newwindow=1&safe=active&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS807US807&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=sqqOXOOrJs21ggfC0LDwBw&q=black+earrings&oq=black+earrings&gs_l=img.3..0i67j0l9.17385.17385..17654...0.0...1...1..gws-wiz-img.1CDdxou0_V4#imgrc=0J2e1Q_n9G60wM:**

**Those links are optional, if you want to click 'em and see, then they are provided!**

**Please remember any questions or comments, directly message me or leave a review! Now, on with the story!**

Lucy had woken up around five in the morning, and her eyes felt swollen. Deciding to go use the restroom, she reluctantly gets up, and notices her clothes all wrinkly and improper, her shirt is up to underneath her breasts, her shorts ridden up far too much to be even remotely considered ok, and her braid all messy with hair sticking out everywhere. She groaned, her neck hurt from sleeping in such a horrible position.

As she walked to the bathroom, she suddenly recalled by she was crying, '_Natsu.' _Eventually, she started to tear up, remembering her resistance in trying to tell Natsu her history. She went to the restroom and looked in the mirror. '_I look like a mess.' _Her eyes were swollen and red, and her face was stained with tears from crying.

After using the restroom, she fixed her clothes, and decided to stay up since she couldn't sleep anymore. '_Might as well get my clothes ready.' _Lucy walked over to her closet to look for an appropriate outfit to wear to the mall. As she examined her outfits, she took a mental note to go buy some more shoes and pants.

_'What should I wear?' _She opted to wear a low-cut mustard yellow dress with the neck, collarbone, and shoulders bare, and the sleeves being off-shoulder sleeves. The dress was more fitted around the top, then flowed to her mid-thigh. For shoes, she opted to wear thigh high black boots with a thick heel to complement it.

Lucy decided to pair some jewelry along with it, so she chose small teardrop-shaped earrings that were outlined in gold and filled in with many black crystals. '_Is this too much for the mall?'_

Convincing herself that it was perfectly fine for the opening of a new mall, Lucy decided to take a long bath. She walked over to her bathroom with her black-lace matching undergarments and locked the door behind her. She undressed, tossing her clothes into the hamper as she filled her bath with hot water. Once it started filling up, Lucy filled it with some bubble-bath mix and some herbs and sunk in. She felt so relaxed with her bath, and once she was comfortable, she decided to sort her thoughts out.

'_How am I going to face Natsu today? I have to go the mall with Levy, and then I have to take care of this issue I created with Natsu. I wish Mama was here, she'd know what to do about this, she'd know what to say, how to help me…'_

_*'Lucy, you insolent little brat! How could you drive away the heir to the largest business company here? We would have made so much marrying into his family! How could you slap him? Have I taught you no manners?!'_

_'Dad, he was trying to take _**_advantage_**_ of me! You told me to make a good impression! I tried! But when he took me to a secluded area, he tried to touch me! I couldn't let him! How could you be so cold?'_

_'How _**_dare_**_ you speak with your tone raised? This behavior WILL NOT be tolerated.'_

_He proceeded to slap Lucy across the face, and once she landed, he kicked her, telling her to act like the lady she was told to grow up as._

_Lucy was shocked, knowing this was not how he usually acted. She cried in pain, when he kicked her again, and when he was done, all he said was, 'Learn your lesson little bitch. You are 16 now, you need to play your role in helping this family. This better not happen again.'*_

Lucy silently cried again, remembering the memories of after he mother passed, and remembered being stuck in her home, never allowed to leave once. She looked down on her torso where some of her old scars were and recalled the brutal memory attached to each.

Once she decided that it was enough bath time, she got up and unplugged the drain to empty the bathtub. She got out and dried herself with a pink towel, and then wrapped it around herself. She walked over to the sink counter, and put on her bra and panties. Once she was done, she blow dried her hair and tied it up so it would be easier to change and put on lotion. She exited the restroom, and noticed it was 7:00am. '_I took two hours in the restroom, how long was I thinking?'_

She then decided that since she lived alone, it was okay to wander around with her undergarments on and went to the kitchen to make a light breakfast to silence her rumbling stomach. While she lived in the mansion, the maids often taught her how to make dishes when she inevitably moved so she wouldn't starve herself.

She made some eggs and added a lot of black pepper with some salt, just how she liked it, and made some black tea, which she was particularly fond of with milk and sugar. As she ate, she realized she had papers to grade and put in her grade book which were due today. '_SHIT.'_

Rushing to finish her food, she tossed the dishes in her sink and went to her office space to finish grading tests. '_These are due today, at 9:00am,' _she mentally noted as she glanced to her office clock and realized it was 7:30am. '_One and a half hours. I got this.' _She then took out her red pen, her laptop, and the papers to grade.

After maybe fifteen minutes of grading, she got to Natsu's paper. She noticed he did exceptionally better on this one, scoring an 97/98, which was a 99%. '_How…? Did he study? What?'_

Lucy was obviously surprised at his score, and when she graded the last page on his paper, she noticed he wrote a note addressed to her.

'_Luce, I decided to try out the whole studying thing you told me to do, and honestly, it made this test so much easier. I know I should listen to you more, and I should probably focus on my grade more… I really hope I don't do too bad._

_Ur the best, Natsu._

Lucy teared up, and silently mumbled, "It's 'you're,' you idiot…"

As she added this grade to Natsu's existing grade, it made his grade jump up to a C. '_I hope he is proud… he deserves it…' _

Lucy finally finished grading her tests and inputting grades, and when she checked the time, it was 9:04pm. '_Perfect,' _she thought as she went to get ready. She slipped on her dress and put on some black thigh-high socks to wear inside her boots as she slipped those on as well. She untied her hair and brushed it, and decided to leave it open. She put her earrings on and applied a little liner and mascara to finish her look. '_Damn, when is the last time I decided to dress up like this…?' _

She goofed around a little on her phone until Levy called her and told her wait outside her house and that she would be there in five minutes.

"Lulu! Get in!" Levy yelled as she drove into Lucy's driveway.

"Coming!"

Lucy walked carefully to the car, and hoped Levy was dressed up as well.

"Lu-chan, you look _hot._ Damn, what possessed you to dress up today?" Levy commented as she looked at Lucy's outfit.

"I don't know, I decided to wear something out of my comfort zone today. Does it look bad?" Lucy suddenly got all self-conscious.

"Hell no, Lu, you look _amazing._ I can't wait 'till _Natsu_ sees you in this."

Lucy suddenly felt very warm and blushed. "Levy, why would he take notice? Plus, I don't think I'll see him today anyways…" she ended with a mumble.

"What? This is Natsu we are talking about, there is _no _way that boy isn't going to come see you. He needs his daily dose of Lucy."

"Levy!"

"Okay, okay, what happened? Did you two fight?" Levy asked as she drove out of the driveway.

"Well, yes and no. Basically, he came over after school and while we walked to the car, I started panicking because I couldn't find Natsu. It was weird because I had already taken my meds so I didn't think I would panic over something so trivial, you know? He finally caught up and started to freak out when he saw me having a panic attack. He drove me home in my car, and after a while, he asked why I didn't tell him. So-"

"Wait, hold up, you _didn't tell him?!_ I can see exactly why he was so upset! Lucy, who wouldn't be upset if their friend didn't mention they have panic attacks? Especially after knowing him for a year! Lu, you should have told him! He is very protective of you."

"Levy! I wanted to, but I kinda never got around to it," she said as she fiddled with her fingers, "I didn't want him to leave me like the rest did Levy. I don't think I could've handled that," Lucy admitted, feeling ashamed she thought that way of Natsu.

"Lu, he would _never_ leave you. I can see it in him. He cares for you, and he has every right to be upset that you didn't tell him. You need to meet him today, and come clean with everything. Okay?"

"Yeah, I tried telling him my past, but I hesitated, and he noticed so he told me to tell him when I was ready, and he left."

"And you _let_ him _leave_? Lucy Heartfilia, just what the _fuck _is wrong with you?!" Levy practically screeched.

"I don't know, Levy! I didn't know what to do! I have never told anyone save for you, so I hesitated! I didn't think he would leave, so I was shocked!"

"Of course he is angry! Natsu is a sensitive soul, Lucy! You can't just let him _fucking_ _leave_!"

"I'm sorry Levy! I… I don't know. I know I trust him with my life, and I know I can tell him, but he is my student, don't you think that is a little weird?"

Levy face-palmed. "Lu, Natsu is your best friend, besides me. Just because he is your student doesn't mean _shit._ Yes, I get it may be weird, but you'd think you'd be more comfortable after hanging out with the guy for a year! Lu, you need to _show_ him you trust him. Sometimes, actions speak louder than words."

Lucy blinked in realization, '_He was upset because I made it look like I didn't trust him. I am the most horrible human being on the face of this planet!'_

"Oh my gosh! I am the worst human being on this planet! How could I not realize this sooner!" Lucy cried, and not she was filled with so much guilt.

"Lu, it's ok, just talk to him after we go to the mall, 'kay?"

"Okay Levy, thanks."

Lucy then remembered Principal Makarov's request. '_Oh shit, I was supposed to consider that! How did I forget? Maybe I should ask Levy…?'_

"Um, hey, uh, Levy?"

"Yes? What is it?"

"Um, so, you see, I had a meeting with the principal the other day, and-"

"You mean yesterday's meeting? I forgot to ask, how did that go?"

"It was fine, save for the fact he asked me something, more like requested something."

"Which was?"

Lucy decided to just let it out. "He asked me if I could live with Natsu." She blurted.

Silence. Lucy never thought the silence would be this painful, yet here she is, finding herself in a painful silence.

"WHAT?!"

Lucy cringed, and knew Levy wasn't going to take this lightly.

"For how long?"

"Six months."

"Where?"

"His place."

"Oh my god, are you _serious_ Lucy? Are you considering this?"

"I don't know! That's why I wanted to ask you for your opinion! I know I wouldn't mind, but at the same time, it's weird!"

Levy pulled into the mall parking lot and parked her car. She then exited the car and went around to Lucy, who just exited too, and grabbed her arms.

"You totally should!"

Lucy was _not_ expecting her to say that. She thought Levy would be opposed to it, and yet here she was, again, completely wrong.

"What? Haven't you considered that this is _weird_ and that Natsu is my _student_?"

"Why do you keep using that excuse? He is your best friend! I think this will do you some good, especially after living in your home… all alone."

Lucy understood her implication, and responded, "But Levy, I'm not sure if I'm making the right decision. I don't know if I should…"

"Lu, lemme ask you this, are you uncomfortable around him?"

"No,"

"Are you afraid he will take advantage of you?"

"Of course not,"

"Are you uncomfortable with the idea of being around Natsu 24/7?"

"No," she blurted before she realized what she responded to.

"W-wait, I didn't mean-"

"The truth comes out first, hon. Plus, you just answered all of those without hesitation. I think you should go for it. Lucy, Natsu would _never_ force you to do anything."

Lucy sighed, knowing Levy was right. Instead of replying, she simply said, "let's go inside. I'm _so _ready to shop."

Then they entered the mall, and Lucy's reaction was nothing short of surprise.

"Holy shit, it's _huge_."

"And that, my friend, is what she said." Levy pointed out.

After some serious blushing and yelling, they explored, and once they got to a store they liked, they entered.

"Hi ladies, what are we shopping for today?"

"Hi, ma'am! We're just here to look around maybe shop," Levy replied.

"Alrighty, let me know if you need anything. My name is Laki, just ask for me or try looking for me"

"Will do, Laki, thanks!"

Levy and Lucy looked around, and they immediately went to the clothing section. As they were walking, Lucy noticed a pastel-blue dress that looked like a prom dress, and she was immediately flooded with memories of when she was in high school.

*'_As a 14 year old, being in High School became difficult. Especially in a very expensive high-esteemed private school for the geniuses. _

_"Alright! Good Afternoon students! I'm here to make some announcements about upcoming events. In two weeks, we have the annual Spring Prom! The theme this year will be 'pastels.' The theme basically includes pastel-colored everything! For girls, dresses can be pastel-colored, and for boys, the suit ties can be pastel-color. This theme also includes spring colors, so a pastel pink, yellow, blue, etc. All up to your imagination! Find a date and an outfit for this prom guys! Two weeks!'_

_Everyone started planning ahead of time, and as a 14 year old, Lucy became very excited. She went home immediately and went to her maids and asked if they could find her a pastel-blue dress, since blue was her favorite color._

_"Of course, Miss Lucy. Any preference for the design?"_

_"Long! And beautiful! It must be spring-like and pastel-blue! I trust you will find me a suitable gown."_

_The maids nodded in understanding and left to complete the task. Lucy was imagining herself at the prom, but she realized she is 14, and everyone around her are 17 or 18. She was just too young._

_"Nonsense! I will find someone who wants to go with me, regardless of the gender!"_

_As the weeks passed, it was finally the day before prom. Lucy was worried about finding a date, and it seemed no one wanted togo with her since she was so young._

_"Hey, little Lucy!"_

_It was Sting, and he came over to Lucy and asked her if she was going to the dance._

_"Yes, I wanted to, but it seems no one will go with me."_

_"Aww, don't be sad. I'll go with you! I'll come to get you tomorrow at 7:00pm, sound like a plan?"_

_Lucy was beyond excited. "Really, mister?" Lucy replied, happy someone would go with her._

_"Yup, I'll see you later!"_

_Lucy couldn't believe a 17 year old wants to go with a 14 year old. She was excited she had a friend to go with!_

_The next day, Lucy was so excited in anticipation, waiting to get home to get ready. _

_When she got home, she immediately got ready. The maids dressed her in a knee-length pastel blue dress that had straps of the same color. Along the torso, there was a silver crystal embroidering and small crystals scattered around. It looked beautiful for a 14 year old. The maids put Lucy's hair in a simple bun, and put on some highlighter. She wore matching flats with a silver-colored bracelet. _

_After finishing getting ready, she heard the doorbell ring._

_Lucy ran downstairs and she saw Sting, wearing a suit with a pastel-pink tie. _

_'He didn't wear a matching tie, like I told him… n-no worries! It's okay!'_

_She went and was greeted with a, "What's up, Lucy? Ready to go?"_

_"Yeah!" Lucy was so excited, 'I've never been to a prom! No one has ever gone with me! This will be so much fun!'_

_As they arrived, they entered, and Lucy was amazed. The ballroom was decorated with lovely pastel-colored decor, and it was dimly lit, making it look like the setting came out of a storybook. _

_As they went further into the ballroom, Lucy heard some people snicker behind her back, "Why is there a child here? What does she think she is doing at a teen party? Who does she think she is?"_

_"What's a little girl doing here?"_

_"I bet someone pitied her and brought her."_

_"I guess someone got stuck babysitting."_

_Lucy felt hurt, but decided to not let them have the satisfaction of her crying, so she kept it in._

_"Come meet my friends, Lucy! Here!"_

_Lucy nodded and came to meet Minerva, Rogue, and Yukino._

_"Hey guys! Look, this is Lucy. She thinks she can come to a big-kid's party and have fun!"_

_Lucy was speechless. 'I…I thought Sting wanted me to come with him! Why did he say that?'_

_"Oh, little girl, did you get lost? How did you end up here?" Minerva snickered._

_"I-I am a student here! I am Lucy, and I'm in my senior year."_

_"An upperclassmen? No fucking way. Quitting shitting with us little bitch, go home to your parents." Minerva snapped._

_"Lucy, this is a big kids' party. You can't just think you can do whatever the fuck you want because your parent's are rich- oh wait. Isn't it _**_parent_**_?" Sting laughed._

_Lucy felt her whole world get crushed. 'Did..did he just mention my parents?' Lucy started to tear up._

_"Why don't you just _**_leave_**_? Guys, let's make her leave! Show her the power of the _**_real_**_ upperclassmen." Sting said, cracking his knuckles._

_They proceeded to tear her dress up, and pull her hair. Rogue just watched and laughed. _

_"Take this, bitch. This will teach you, you little whore." Minerva evilly said._

_"Minerva, I don't think 14 year olds can be whores, unless she a different case."_

_"You never know, they are rich, and so that could mean their methods of getting rich… could be _**_different_**_." Minerva reasoned._

_"Oh, yeah. Makes sense."_

_They kicked Lucy and eventually picked her up and tossed her into the mud outside, her dress covered in mud and torn in various places._

_"Don't come back, this party isn't meant for little stuck up snobs like you."_

_Lucy silently cried as it started raining. She walked back home with the flowers Sting gave her, and they drooped. She found a bench and sat there, crying while getting drenched. "I-hic-I thought they accepted me." _

_Lucy sobbed the whole night on the bench.*_

Snapping out of her flashback, Lucy realized she started tearing up, remembering her cruel past. She laughed a little, and ended up walking past the dress, and followed Levy. Levy eyed her weirdly, wondering what she was thinking, but let it go once she saw a dress she liked.

"Lu, look! This is just _gorgeous_."

Levy had picked out an short orange dress that surprisingly complemented her blue hair and the dress came with a matching headband.

Levy eyed the price tag, and immediately started squealing.

"Lucy, I am going to try this one on! Go find a dress so we both can go!"

Lucy searched around, and found a short grayish-blue dress that had thick off-the-shoulder straps and dipped a little into her cleavage. It was fitted all the way up until her waist, and then flowed to just above her knees. It had a netted layer on the bottom portion to make it look poofy, and was finished with a thin lighter silver ribbon tied around the waist and was tied off with a bow.

Lucy loved it.

She picked it up and walked to Levy, and Levy just shook her head in approval. They both went to the fitting rooms to try their dresses on.

As Lucy put her dress on, she starting thinking, '_Do I look weird? Does this dress suit me?'_

Lucy couldn't help but feel self-conscious, and she waited for Levy to call her out to come out. Once Levy called her, she replied with a, "coming!" and left her stall.

Lucy looked at Levy, and Levy looked _adorable_. The dress hugged her curves in all the right places and made her look so _amazing_. She was right; the orange really did suit her.

"Levy, you look so _amazing_! That orange really complements your hair!"

Levy gushed, and said, "thank you sooo much- _woah._ Lu, have you _seen_ yourself in the mirror? You look like a fucking model!"

This time, Lucy blushed, and she went back and looked at herself again. Gaining some unknown confidence, Lucy blurted, "I look _hot_."

Lucy blinked, and so did Levy. "Where the hell did _that_ come from?" Levy said as she and Lucy looked at each other and starting laughing like crazy.

After the laughing died down, they both changed back and bought their dresses with matching heels.

"I honestly don't know where that came from. Also, did we just buy party outfits? Where will be wear this?"

"Umm, to the party you'll be hosting?"

"Oh, yeah- what say _what_?"

"Lu, come on, you own such a lovely home suited for parties, and I'll host it with you!"

"For what occasion? I don't have many people to invite and I don't usually host parties and-"

"Lu, chill, breathe. I won't force it on you. Also, isn't your birthday coming up in July? It's May right now, so I'll host your birthday party in July!"

Lucy groaned. She remembered it was May, so grading and everything was starting to become due, and it was just _so_ much work.

"Levy, I appreciate it, but there'd be no one to invite since I don't have many friends. Just forget it. I'll find something to wear this to."

Levy sighed, knowing there was no way to convince the blonde. As she was mentally sulking, she got an idea, and said, "Okay finneee. There isn't anything I can do to convince you anyways."

Lucy gave her an odd look. Usually, it took a lot for Levy to back down, but today, she backed down very quickly. '_Odd.' _She decided to let it go since it wasn't worth all the brain energy.

Lucy and Levy went around and bought more clothing items along with matching sets of shoes and jewelry, and some makeup. They called it a day after they checked the time and it read, 7:30pm.

"How in the world did we stay out for _nine_ hours? I actually can't believe it. This is ridiculous." Levy said, surprised.

"It ain't as crazy as how many bags we have right now." Lucy exclaimed looking down at her arms and Levy's arms which were filled with bags.

Lucy got pretty tired after walking in her boots so she told Levy maybe they should get going. Levy vehemently agreed and they made their way to Levy's car. After somehow stuffing all their bags in the back, they sat in the car and made their way to Lucy's.

"So, are you going to stay over tonight or are you leaving?" Lucy asked, hoping she would stay.

"Oh hell yes, I am sleeping over. I didn't know it was an option, but I'll take it."

"Yes thank you. I was hoping you would say yes. Damn today has been a long day, waking up with a swollen face, going to the mall, finding out I have so much confidence it practically _leaks_ out, and-"

"Wait, hold up, you were _crying_? Wait, why were- oh. Wait, you were supposed to talk to Natsu." Levy realized, giving her a glare as she looked back at the road.

Lucy gulped. She hoped that Levy would forget, but it seems like Lucy reminded her by accident.

"Scratch that, I am _not_ staying over today, call Natsu and tell him to come over _now_. He better be there before I get home or I will _kick you out of this car_." Levy hissed, getting annoyed Lucy was avoiding her problems.

"But Levy, I'll talk to him later, come over, please?"

"_Lucy fucking Heartfilia, you are going to call him right now or else I will-"_

"Okay, okay, I will! I'll call him now, sheesh," Lucy said, giving up.

Lucy found Natsu's number and stared for a moment. '_What am I supposed to say to him? This is going to be so awkward, I don't know…'_

"Well?"

"Okay, I'm calling him!"

Lucy dialed Natsu's number, and it went through, ringing as Lucy thought of what to say. After a while, it went to voicemail, and Lucy looked at Levy triumphly. Her moment of proudness ended when she got a call _back_ from Natsu and Levy gave her the look that said, _'Pick up or I'll end you.'_

Lucy picked up, and was greeted with a very deep, husky, "_Hello?"_

Lucy got nervous, and said, "Natsu, hey, I had a question."

"_I'm all ears, Luce. What's up?"_

_"_Well, I was wondering if you wanted to come over right now, I wanted to, uh, talk to you."

"_Seriously? You're inviting _**_me_**_ to your place? Are you okay?"_

Lucy's demeanor changed, and she hissed, "Natsu, do you want to come or_ not?_ Answer me, I don't have all fucking day."

"_Sheesh, okay, sure, I'm coming. See you in a few. I'm telling you, there are some screws loose in your head…" _Natsu ended with a mumble.

"What the _fuck_ did you just say you piece of-"

"_I'll be there in ten minutes, see you."_

Lucy sighed as the call ended. Levy gave her the most huge smile she thought her face wasn't big enough for.

"Now, Lucy, we are here. Go, take your bags inside. Oh, also, keep that outfit on. You look _hot_, show it to Natsu. You never know, you may end up having a _sleepover with Nats-" _

"LEVY, FUCK. OFF." Lucy practically growled as she blushed like crazy.

Lucy glanced down at her outfit, and wondered what Natsu would think. '_He won't even notice, he is so dense.'_

Lucy decided to keep her outfit on since she was too lazy to change, and went inside with her bags. She waved a goodbye to Levy and took her bags upstairs. She took everything out and decided to try organizing them now while she waited. As she organized, he didn't realize her dress was drooping a little low so when she bent down, her cleavage showed. A lot. As she heard her doorbell, she walked downstairs as her heels clicked, and opened the door, assuming it was Natsu.

"Hey, Natsu, what's up-_ woah,_ you are not Natsu, who are you?"

"Sorry ma'am, I was just here delivering a package shipped to you. Have a good day!" He said as he left.

Lucy wondered when she ordered something, so when she went to the kitchen to open it, she eventually came to the conclusion that the mansion sent her something.

As she thought, she was right.

The note attached read, _'Lucy, here is a box filled with your mother's most prized possessions. She wanted you to have this. Please, keep it safe. ~Virgo'_

Lucy stared at the package. '_Virgo sent me this? From my mom?' _Lucy opened it and found a beautiful navy blue chest with gold designs on it. When she opened it, it was neatly organized with golden keys that represented each zodiac symbol.

'_I should keep this safe, I..I didn't know my mom owned this…' _she thought as she felt tears coming in her eyes. She the heard the doorbell and thought Natsu was here, so she dried her tears and threw the packaging away. She left the chest closed on her kitchen counter and went to get the door.

"Hey Natsu, come on in." Lucy greeted.

"Hey Luce, what's up- woah. Did you go somewhere today? You looked pretty dolled up today," Natsu said as he eyed her up and down.

Lucy blushed, realizing she was still in her "mall outfit" and she quickly replied, "I went to the mall with Levy. Bought some stuff. Decided I should wear something more suited for my body- wait, no, I mean something more dressy for the mall opening."

"Luce, did… did you just practically _admit_ you have a nice body? Overconfidence much?"

Lucy blushed for the umpteenth time that day and smacked his arm playfully.

"Natsu, _no_, that is not what I implied, and _did you just say that?_ I meant I usually don't dress up and Levy said I looked hot so I decided to go with-" Lucy slapped her hand over her mouth. '_WHY do I keep digging my grave deeper and deeper?' _Lucy thought as she groaned.

"You know what, just come in, Natsu, and sit down before I lose it."

"Well, Levy isn't wrong, you do look hot." Natsu said quietly. Lucy snapped her head towards Natsu and said, "_What?"_

"Nothing, now what did you call me for? You said you wanted to talk?"

Lucy looked at him with a confused look and decided to just say what she wanted to say. "I'm sorry, Natsu."

After saying that, they closed the door and took off their shoes before they made their way to the kitchen. Natsu sat down on the high-chair while Lucy stood opposite of him. Natsu finally questioned, "What for?"

"I…I didn't tell you about my anxiety and panic attacks. I should've, but I was scared."

"Why?"

"Because I feared you might leave me like everyone else did…"Lucy mumbled, but Natsu heard it loud and clear.

Frustrated, he got up and walked over to her and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her waist and her neck. He buried his head in her neck, and said quietly but loud enough for her to hear, "I would _never_ leave you, Lucy. I promise you that. Whatever you go through, I will be there to help you through it all, and that is my word to you."

Lucy's face turned so red, she was glad he couldn't see her, but then, she felt guilty because she doubted Natsu. She slowly wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed, reassuring him.

They stayed like the for a while, and when they parted, Lucy had to look up. Natsu was a whole head taller than her, and it made her feel… _protected_.

"So, Natsu, I wanted to share my family history with you. I-I had hesitated last time because it's very traumatizing for me to talk about it, so if I get something to drink, can we sit down in the living room and talk about it?"

"You know I'm okay with it, I'll take some coffee. I'll bring some blankets."

"Great, I'll be there in a sec."

Lucy parted and immediately felt the warmth his body provided. She loved how warm Natsu was, and she could literally hug him all day.

She made some coffee and added some chili pepper, how he liked it. Natsu was oddly very into hot pepper and hot sauce, so everything he eats has some of it in it and Lucy has a whole stack in her cabinet.

She made herself some tea and put the beverages in matching cups and made her way to the living room. She saw Natsu had the blankets ready and saw he dropped one by accident.

"Oh, here, lemme get that." Lucy offered as she set the drinks down and bent down to pick up the blanket.

Natsu turned to Lucy and said, "Thanks, Lu-uh." Natsu paused weirdly as he saw her bend down.

He had a _very_ clear view of her bust.

'_This is not something I should be seeing, but I didn't know Lucy owned a black lacy bra-'_

"Um, Natsu? What happened?"

Natsu felt his cheeks warm up. '_I-I just stared at her-'_

"Sorry, I was thinking about something."

Natsu knew he felt something for the blonde ever since he met her, but he just didn't know _what_. Whenever he saw her, he felt very possessive, very comfortable, and very light-headed.

He just didn't know.

"Okayyyy, well, here, your drink." She said as she handed Natsu his spicy coffee.

"Thanks," he replied as he sat down and wrapped around Lucy's spot so she could be comfortable.

That was also something, he has to make sure she was comfortable every. Single. Time.

"Okay, here I go, bear with me, I'm not used to this," she warned as she sat down. She breathed in. '_I can do this.' _She breathed out. '_Here I go.'_

_"_I'm all ears."

"So, Natsu, as you noticed, I have a panic disorder. I-I get very anxious or nervous when something stressful occurs and I break down. I started noticing it when I was 12, and I started to get medication for it. It got a lot better as I grew up, but it would still happen once in a while. I panicked last time because I thought I lost you. I don't know why I panicked smooch, but I did. I'm sorry for scaring you. For the future, since I trust you, I have my meds in my medicine cabinet next to the Tylenol. If I ever have an attack at home, you'll know where the meds are. Otherwise, I keep them handy in my purse. I haven't had to use them since I was 17, but that changed yesterday."

Natsu nodded in understanding, and asked, "So, you usually panic when something stresses you out? Does that mean you got stressed out when you thought you lost me?"

"Yup."

"Wow, remind me never to leave you outta my sight," Natsu joked but Lucy blushed.

"A-anyways, about my family. M-my mom, she, uh, died when I was 8. I-I didn't know those men would…" Lucy mumbled, tearing up.

Natsu took his drink and her drink to set it down on the table and hugged her. "Shh, it's okay. You don't have to tell me everything. If it's hurting you that much, take it one step at a time. Tell me something else, how about that?"

Lucy nodded and stayed within his embrace. She continued, "so, after my mom passed, my father became extremely cruel towards everyone. He would s-say _horrible_ things to everyone, especially me. It started as neglect, then it went to mental abuse, and then… _p-physical abuse._ He…he would hit me every time I did something he deemed 'wrong' and would take pleasure out of beating me with a metal pipe. I-I still have scars on my torso from it… I still find it odd. He never struck me on my limbs. Only my torso. I eventually figured he did that to try to kill me quicker, but he ended up getting rid of me before it came to that."

Lucy waited for Natsu to respond, but when he didn't, she looked up to see him _seething_.

"Lucy, _show_ me."

"Show you what?"

"Your scars."

"W-what?! Natsu, they are on my _torso_! You can't just ask me to undress!"

He picked Lucy up bridal style and laid her on the couch. After doing so, he took her dress and lifted it up just below her breasts.

"_Eeekk! NATSU! What are you-"_

Natsu stared at her stomach and sides silently. He looked so pissed, so hurt. Lucy decided to stay quiet while he examined her scars, and she heard up, half in humiliation and pain.

"N-natsu, they aren't the prettiest, just put my dress back down, please-"

"_Your father did this to you?_"

Lucy gulped and nodded. She became acutely aware that her black panties were showing, but she was too trapped in his gaze that she failed to notice.

Slowly, he picked her back up and hugged her tightly. He buried his face in her hair, and quietly said, "you're beautiful."

Lucy blushed, but realized he wasn't saying it for no reason. He noticed she was self-conscious of them. He figured out her pain and fear was because of what those scars represent.

"Lucy, your father is a _bastard_. I will protect you, and I swear by it. I will never let anyone touch you in such a way. Those who bring you pain will feel _hell_ once I find out," Natsu growled.

Lucy didn't know what it was, but she felt something for Natsu, and she didn't know what possessed her to do so, but she leaned back and looked at Natsu dead in the eyes. She saw something in his eyes she has never seen directed towards her; pure love.

Lucy was on the couch sitting with her face leveled to his face. He was somehow still taller than her after kneeling in front of her and her sitting.

Lucy came closer to Natsu, and Natsu, being the impatient person he is, grabbed the back of Lucy's head and smashed his lips against hers.

They kissed as if the world was to end the next day, passionately and with hands roaming. Natsu bit Lucy's bottom lip, and was practically begging for entrance. Lucy eagerly granted it to him, and then it became a battle for dominance with their tongue's feeling every part of each other's mouth as much as they could.

Natsu then lifted Lucy off the couch and Lucy instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist as Natsu took her upstairs to her room. They never broke apart until Natsu laid Lucy down and they both breathed heavily, trying to take in as much oxygen as they could.

Natsu looked down at Lucy, and he just thought, '_I…I can't believe this is happening. But, this isn't right. I should first tell her, not just start doing anything without asking.'_

"Luce, I-"

Lucy took her arms and wrapped them around Natsu's neck as she brought him back to her lips. She then kissed him sweetly, just repetitively pecking his lips as she blurted, "Natsu. I feel comfortable around you. I-I feel safe, loved, and I feel like a _person_ with you. With my father, I felt as if I was an object that only had to obey. He…he showed off how smart I was and used it to gain prestige. I've never felt loved by anyone other than my mother, but she left this world. I have never chosen anything in my life, but Natsu, if I can, I would choose you over anything else any day. You make me the happiest I can be. I don't want to ruin our friendship, so if you say no, I don't want you to feel awkward around me, so-"

Natsu laughed, and Lucy frowned. "What? Did I say something weird? I'm sorry…"

"No, Lucy, you're just so…arghh, I don't know. Lucy, I wanted to ask you if you're okay with what we we're doing, but I think I have my answer."

"Natsu, are you not going to answer-"

"I love you."

"-my question that I- wait, _what?_ You-you do? I never thought…" Lucy teared up as she brought Natsu back down for another kiss.

Natsu took this moment to take his hands and slide them up and down her sides. He traced her scars on her taut stomach, and randomly wondered when she got worked out to get such a muscular stomach.

Lucy took her hands and slid them into Natsu's hair and she felt the softness while she pulled the soft locks. Lucy unconsciously moaned, and that's when Natsu couldn't take it.

Suddenly, Natsu started roaming his hands in more, _dangerous_ territories. Lucy took note, but when she realized she didn't care, she let him.

Suddenly memories of when she was younger flooded her mind.

'_Lucy, you have been so bad today. I got these nice men to teach you some discipline. Maybe you'll learn better with some _**_force_**_. This should teach you to not disobey orders given to you. Men, take her away. Bring her back, alive, in three hours. Do what you want with her.'_

_That's when the two men dragged Lucy to a bedroom and locked the door, smirking._

_They approached Lucy as pinned her to the bed, and started to run their hands up and down her legs. Lucy cried, and wished for someone to come and help her._

_As they started to take her clothes off, Lucy heard someone break the door open._

_'Lucy,' was the last thing she heard after she blacked out._

"NO!" Lucy yelled and pushed Natsu away.

Hurt, Natsu looked over at Lucy and said, "I-I'm sorry, Lucy, I didn't mean to…"

Snapping our her daze, he looked at Natsu, and realized she hurt him. '_I…I yelled at him.'_

_"_Sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." She said as she brought Natsu back within her embrace.

"Natsu, I'm sorry, I just remembered something when I was younger. I remembered… my dad. He hired these men to... teach me a lesson. To make sure I didn't disobey again."

Natsu stayed quiet, and then he got up and growled, "your father hired men to take _advantage _of you to make sure you didn't disobey again?"

Lucy slowly nodded, and Natsu for the umpteenth time hugged her.

"Lucy, did you…?"

"What? What are you referring to?"

"Did you lose your..?"

"No! They… brought me to a room and when they were about to take my clothes off, someone broke the door open and saved me. I don't remember anything after that, though, I passed out from fear."

Natsu stayed silent, and hugged her even tighter. Lucy could hear him silently crying.

Lucy has never seen Natsu cry _ever_. So when she saw him cry, she felt guilty.

"Natsu, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you so upset with my past."

"No, Lucy, I just, your _worthless, pathetic bastard of a father _did these horrible things to you, and I am trying to resist the urge to go find him and _murder _and _shove a pipe down his-"_

_"_Natsu, I understand. I wanted to too. For the longest time. But now, I have you, so these memories may haunt me, but they are my past. I have my future to look forward to, and that's going to be what motivates me to move on."

Natsu just stared at her. She looked into those eyes he loved so much. She loved her, and he would never let these things happen to her _ever_ again.

"Natsu, I love you too."

Natsu thought he heard wrong, but when he said, "come again?" He was proved wrong.

"Idiot, I said I love you, now are you going to be an idiot the entire time or are you going to kiss me?"

Natsu blinked rapidly as the words she said finally sunk in. Natsu smiled so widely and kissed her, making sure all his love was portrayed in that kiss.

Lucy couldn't be any happier. She finally had the man she loved, and she was the happiest she had ever been in her whole life.

Natsu broke the kiss and got up. Lucy was confused, but when she saw he was turning the lights off, she smiled, and she got up as well.

"Lucy, will you give me the pleasure of being my girlfriend?"

Lucy giggled at his formalities, and said, "why yes, fair gentlemen."

Natsu smiled and pecked her lips, telling her that he was going to go home.

Lucy frowned, and shyly, she tugged his shirt, saying, "do you really have to go? Stay the night."

Natsu smiled at her, and simply said, "I don't want to accidentally trigger memories to make you scared, and I don't want to do anything to force you or take it too quickly."

Feeling some surge of confidence, Lucy brought Natsu's head down so she could whisper in his ear, "I insist, stay with me."

Nastu looked worried, but when he saw Lucy, he decided to stay anyways, since she insisted. He was already wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, and threw a jacket on top to make it look less casual, but he already wore his PJ's. Lucy, deciding to change her outfit and wiper her face, opted to wear cotton shorts with a white-loose top that had spaghetti straps and came to about the middle of her stomach. She forgot to mind that Natsu was staying over, so she quickly threw it on and wiped the makeup off her face.

Natsu visibly struggled to go and just grab her and lay her on the bed and-

"Natsu, coming?"

"Y-yeah."

It was 11:43pm, and Lucy was tired. She had been awake since 5am, so she was extremely sleepy. Natsu picked her up bridal style and lied her down on the bed, and got in bed with her. He draped the blanket around them both, and he gathered her in his arms, hugging her tightly to his chest, and he fell asleep with a smile on his face.

**Author Note: Oof, that was a _lot_. I know, it seems rushed, they got together, yay! Natsu and Lucy are now officially dating! I know it seems like it was abrupt, but the point was to have them be a couple now so I can reveal some other details later in the story. It seems as if I am losing the whole point of the story, but I promise, it'll wrap everything up as I keep going! This is T rated, but I implore you guys to take caution that there is language and some scenes that are a little, _inappropriate._ I'll warn you guys in the top A.N so you guys know.**

**Also, yes, Lucy's father is horrible. I never really liked him, so I made him the bad guy. Whoop. I also made Sting, Minerva, and Rogue bad, but only for now. They will show up soon, and so will Gray, Erza, Lisanna, Cana, Mirajane, Gildarts, Juvia, Alsack, Bisca, and Wendy! There are probably more, but I just can't name them all off the top of my head.**

**There is plenty more to expect, so stay tuned! I will try my very best to post every week on Monday's. It will be during any portion of the day, but it will be Monday's for me, I don't know if your Monday's are my Monday's. I am posting following EST, not PST. **

**Any reviews, messages, comments are always welcome as along as they are respectful. Next chapter: Chapter 4: A new beginning?**

**_Preview: _**

_Lucy woke up and it was too bright outside for her liking. She felt like getting up, but felt like she was restricted by some sort of weight. When she looked down, she noticed a human being snuggling in her chest, and she sighed._

_This was going to be something she had to get used to._

**See y'all next post!**


	4. Chapter 4: A New Beginning?

***Note* THE CHAPTER HAS LANGUAGE AND SCENES THAT MAY BE SUGGESTIVE OR INAPPROPRIATE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

**ALSO, THIS FANFIC IS RATED M ONLY FOR SUGGESTIVE THEMES AND CRUDE LANGUAGE. NO SMUT. I'M NOT THAT KINDA PERSON.**

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm thinking this whole Monday thing may not work out, since I gotta go and get some of my education done so I can move forward in life-_-, anyways, I was thinking maybe Sundays? I'm not sure yet, I'll probably still update rather, for the lack of a better word, erratically. I may even update earlier than expected… who knows?**

**Also, just some background, I made the two quickly become a couple only because when I read fanfictions, usually it is the build-up to their relationship, which is totally amazing, I love reading that. It's just some authors don't show the aftermath, which sometimes I want to read, so I wanted to make my story of what happens after they are already in a relationship. I hope you guys like it, and if you prefer the build-up rather than the aftermath, it is totally your choice and it's cool.**

**Also, I wanted to give you guys 3 quick updates. **

**One, this story is moving along faster than I thought I was going to make it, so it may only have 20 wish chapters, making it rather short compared to stories I usually read, and after that, I have an idea for another story, so don't be disappointed! It is still wayyy too early for me to say this, but just a heads up!**

**Two, this is just me sharing with you, but I just read a book called, ****_The Possibility of Somewhere_****, by Julia Day and it was so ADORABLE! It was about a girl named Eden who falls in love with a boy named Ash and so much more! I definitely have many ideas for new stories, but right now, we have this one! If you guys want some adorable romantic novels to read, I got you.**

**Three, guys, if there is any confusion with anything, please, LET ME KNOW! I probably don't have a lot of people following me, (or do I?) but if anyone who does follow my story has any confusion, please let me know! It's my first time writing so any confusion will ruin the story! I promise to answer eventually and I want to make sure I clear any confusion. **

**Now, on with the story!**

Lucy woke up and it was too bright outside for her liking. She felt like getting up, but she felt restricted by some sort of foreign weight. Curious and slightly worried, she looked down to see what the weight, and she noticed a human being snuggling her chest. She sighed.

This was something she could get used to.

Natsu was laying his head in Lucy's chest and was holding her around her waist. His head was literally tucked under Lucy's head. Every part of Lucy was covered in Natsu as her legs were tangled with his in a mess. She didn't mind though, Natsu was extremely warm.

Natsu was a freaking heater. And Lucy, being Lucy, was always cold. So she definitely saw the plus side of having Natsu as her boyfriend.

Slowly feeling the need to go use the restroom, she tried to escape his death grip but to no avail. She tried waking him up, but he refused to get up.

Feeling frustrated, she decided to smack him, and it _still_ didn't work. '_Why is this idiot not waking up?'_

Suddenly, Lucy got an idea. Lucy knew Natsu hated it when someone pinched him on his thigh, and she accidentally found that out while trying to kill a bug that was on Natsu's thigh, and while trying to pick it up with a napkin, she accidentally pinched him a bit and he had a freaking heart attack.

Deciding to go against her better judgement, she slowly tried to reach for any portion of Natsu's thigh. It was difficult since he was so firmly holding her, but she somehow made it. Then, she pinched.

"WHAT THE FUCK— "

Natsu sprang awake and held his leg as if someone cut it, and started cursing under his breath. He looked at his surroundings and saw Lucy, and he immediately smiled. After smiling, he realized she had just pinched him, so it quickly went to a scowl.

"Lucy, why the _fuck_ did you pinch my thigh? You know I hate it!"

"Well, sorry for hurting you, _Natsu_, but you were not moving! You literally had me trapped under your freakishly toned body and I wasn't able to move! I had to _pee_!"

"But that doesn't mean you pinch me, you lunatic! Especially on my thigh! You know I hate it when—_ wait_. Did…did you just say my body is 'freakishly toned'?"

Lucy's annoyance simmered down to pure embarrassment. How does she end up saying these things by accident?

Knowing there was no point in trying to hide her statement or cover it up, she ended up admitting it as if it was obvious.

"Well, yeah, don't you know you are pretty toned? It's pretty damn clear so I was just stating a fact."

"Luce, if it's clear, why did you mention it? I'm pretty sure that is your weird way of saying I'm hot."

"No, you fucktard, your ego in getting to you."

"Hey, Luce, just admit it, you think I'm hot."

Lucy was mentally slapping herself and Natsu. They just woke up, are sitting on the bed in their PJ's, and _arguing_ whether or not Natsu is hot or not.

'_Well, I can't lie, I do think he is extremely attractive and if hot is the word he wants to use, then yeah, he is. No way am I admitting it though. No need to raise his ego this early in the morning.'_

"Natsu, get up. We should get ready for the day."

"You aren't denying it."

"And I'm not accepting it either, now get your ass off my bed and freshen up. I'm making breakfast. Pancakes?"

"Umm, _yes_. I'll be there in a sec, I need to use the bathroom."

Lucy nodded her head and got up. She looked at her attire and immediately blushed.

'_How the hell did I wear this to bed without dying of embarrassment?'_

She was sporting a short pair of cotton shorts and a loose top that reach the middle of her stomach. Her belly button was completely visible and there was a generous amount of cleavage showing.

She thanked the lord she had a bra on, even if it was strapless. She wouldn't have been able to live with herself if she didn't wear one.

She threw on a baggy t-shirt over her outfit after taking off the top she was wearing previously. Accepting her look, she walked down to the kitchen and starting whipping up a batter for pancakes. After making it, she poured the mix into a circular shape and waited for it to cook.

Natsu couldn't believe it. He had spent the night with Lucy, and now he was having breakfast here? Sure, he had done this plenty of times before, but this was the first time he was doing it with Lucy as his _girlfriend_. He felt nervous, but at the same time, he felt comfortable with Lucy, and he loved being with her. Deciding to man up, he left the bathroom to smell something sweet and delicious. He followed the scent to find Lucy making pancakes as promised. He went over to Lucy to hug her from behind and wrap his arms around her waist.

"Eeekkk! Natsu, what are you _doing_?"

Natsu was genuinely confused. Does Lucy not know what hugs are?

"I'm hugging you, duh. What a weirdo."

"Natsu, I'm cooking. I might mess up."

"Nah, you only mess up if you're distracted, which you shouldn't be, so you good."

"Who said you _aren't _distracting?"

Lucy, for the umpteenth time, wished she knew how to keep a filter on her mouth. Why did she have to blurt out embarrassing things in front of Natsu, especially when they were about him?

Natsu only smirked, knowing she was distracted with his close proximity. He decided to tease her bit more, but not enough where she actually burned herself.

Slowly, he started to rub circles on her taut stomach over her shirt, which never ceased to amaze him. Just when did she get abs?

Lucy blushed so hard her face was practically red. She flipped the pancake and tried to ignore him, visibly failing.

In victory, Natsu decided to increase his level of teasing. He started to move his hands along the sides of her body, up and down her curves. He himself was starting to blush a little but ignored it for the sake of torturing his girlfriend.

Lucy was visibly struggling to both knock Natsu out or to turn around and just kiss him. She didn't know which she wanted more, but she was sure she wanted them both equally.

Finally, finishing the pancake stack, she turned the stove off, but as she was going to turn it off, she burned the side of her arm a little, making her flinch but not react entirely to it. She was used to getting burns, so she disregarded it.

Finally giving in to Natsu, she turned around and put her arms around Natsu's neck. She looked at his face, smirking and proud.

"So, you done?" Lucy said, hoping that her voice sounded teasing.

"Not at all, but now I have your attention. Seems like my teasing worked."

"Don't you think you need some payback for the teasing though?"

Natsu was now confused. What is she talking about? Was she going to kick him?

"What? I don't get it, Luce—"

He was cut off by a pair of lips, and, at first, was shocked, but immediately sunk into the kiss. He grabbed her waist and tilted his head, deepening the kiss. Lucy gladly accepted the change, moving her hands up into Natsu's hair to softly yank on it.

They were both enjoying the kiss, and as things were getting a little out of hand, Lucy stopped to say a soft, "_ow_."

"What? What's wrong Lucy? Are you okay? What happened?"

Smiling at his worry, she again, flinched and said, "shit, I should have taken care of it. It's nothing, Natsu, it's just a burn. I accidentally burned myself trying to turn the stove off. It's okay though, I'm used to it."

"Let me see, god, Lucy! You have to take care of these things! You can't just leave them be! You got hurt and you disregarded it? That's so idiotic!"

Lucy frowned, and said sorry at least a million times. Natsu forcefully dragged Lucy to the sink to pour cold water on it. He then took a non-stick bandaid (not gauze!) and taped it on her burn. Sighing, he dragged Lucy back to the dining table.

"Lucy, you have to tell me whenever you get hurt! You can't just nonchalantly say 'whatever' and continue with life. Burns are serious!"

"Okay, okay, sorry Natsu. I'm just used to it. I wasn't expecting it to hurt so much."

"Well, it's a burn, what did you think? It'll feel like ecstasy?"

"Sheesh Natsu, just eat your pancakes."

Lucy and Natsu ate their pancakes, sneaking in some rude remarks and jokes to lighten the atmosphere a little. They felt at ease. To Lucy, this whole relationship was a bonus to her. She still had her best friend plus some more affection and physical contact. It was just benefits on top of benefits for her, and she also cherished him.

Natsu undoubtedly felt the same way, except he was more stoked about being her boyfriend. He absolutely love Lucy, and he love holding her and now that he was her boyfriend, he could do that all he wanted. Another plus for him was that he could now be more openly possessive; it always pissed him off how other guys looked at Lucy with their lustful gazes. Every time he glared at someone for it, Lucy would be annoyed, saying he always ruined her chances to date. Now, there was no room for that.

After they finished eating their breakfast, Lucy told Natsu she had to grade papers and have grades done. As she was telling him this, she completely forgot about the whole 'living together' proposal. '_How in the world do I break the news to him? It is wrong to have a teacher and student-'_

Lucy blinked in realization. She completely forgot their professional relationship. She was his teacher, no matter his age.

"Natsu Natsu Natsu oh my god this is so wrong!"

Natsu, who was washing the dishes since he couldn't cook, was caught off guard. "What? What could have you possibly thought of now? What happened?"

"Natsu! I'm your teacher! And you are my student! I literally have to go grade your papers! How are we supposed to have this relationship if you are my _student_?"

Natsu was just stood their, shocked. Yeah, he didn't give two shits about her being his teacher, but _how_ was this going to be okay at college? No way a teacher-student relationship was going to get a thumbs up at college. Instead of panicking, he decided to remain calm and offered a risky solution.

"Luce, chill. You know I don't give a shit about you being my teacher. I love you and you love me too, and to me, that's a good enough reason to want to be together. I'm not going to breakup with you or not be with you just because we are afraid. We will make it, and hopefully, everything will work out. If it's you, I'm willing to risk a lot."

Lucy could feel the tears start pricking her eyes. She had never heard anyone state it so nicely, and with so much care. He was willing to risk his education just to be with her, and even though the gesture was so sweet, she couldn't have him do something so selfless. It could potentially ruin his future. That's when a tear slipped down her cheek.

"Jesus— Lucy, I'm sorry. What did I say? Did I say something to offend you? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you—"

Lucy shut him up by giving him a long, sweet peck on the lips. She grabbed the side of his face to steady herself and before he could respond properly, she pulled away.

"Thank you, Natsu. That was beautiful."

Relieved she was crying tears of joy, he held her around the waist and told her, "anything for ya, Luce. Love you."

Lucy blushed. She was still trying to get used to him saying that. It was just so hard for her since she was never told, 'I love you.' Her mother used to say it a bunch to her when they were younger, and when it was her birthday, her mother would give her an envelope addressed to her with a letter to her for whichever age she turned. She had all of the ones she collected over the years in her box upstairs for each of her birthdays. She stopped receiving them around the age of fifteen, because her maids told her her mother had only written fifteen letters to her, and Lucy was saddened she had no more.

Mumbling, she replied, "I love you too, Natsu."

A problem still remained. '_How are we going to date? Our relationship will get plenty of criticism.'_

"Luce, don't worry. We don't have to tell anyone about our relationship. It can be a secret. That way we would be safe and we can still date. Albeit, this will be a tough thing for me."

"Why's that?"

"I'm gonna have to resist the urge to kiss you whenever I see you."

Blushing again, she smacked Natsu on the arm playfully and cleaned up the breakfast table. She told him to do his homework while she graded papers, but the man had somehow finished it all the day before.

"That's lovely, you can go home though. I have papers to grade."

"Luceeeee, I wanna stay! Come on, _please?_"

"No, get the fuck out. I have _actual_ things to do. I'll talk to you later today. How about this, it's 11:03am right now, so meet me at 2:00pm here and we can go out. How about it?"

Grinning like a madman, Natsu nodded. "Perfect, it's a date. See you, Luce!"

He grabbed Lucy and gave her a rather long goodbye kiss. He was really going to miss her, even if it was for three hours.

After what seemed like ages, he broke away, and gave her another kiss to her forehead. He picked up his jacket and put his shoes on. After waving to Lucy once more, he was out.

Finally getting some alone time, which every human needs, she relaxed. She had a feeling Natsu was going to be _very_ clingy. He always stole kisses from her and always touched her whenever he could. Not that she minded too much, but if or when another guy comes up to Lucy or even looks at her, they were going have a rough time. Natsu seemed to be very possessive. Again, not that she minded, but she didn't want her boyfriend to get into fights. Clingy could also be annoying sometimes.

Deciding to take a shower, she grabbed a set of lacy underwear, and for that day, she chose a vivid red. Lucy was one of those girls who owned matching underwear in all the colors of the rainbow. She found peace in having an organized underwear drawer with all her underwear matched with its partner.

Deciding to roam in her undies, she preferred it, she picked up her underwear and went to the restroom. She quickly took a shower, not wanting to waste time to grade, and then dried herself. She then picked up her panties and slid them on. After drying her torso, she picked up her bra and started to randomly wonder when her bras got so big.

Yeah, she knew she had a large chest, and sometimes, it was unbearable. It strained her back most of the time, but she learned how to deal with it. She checked the size and it read 42DD. Sighing a long sigh, she put her bra on. She remembered being in high school, she was only an A cup, and throughout her college years, her chest grew exponentially, along with her height. She was now standing at five feet six inches, and while she was taller than most women her age, Natsu still towered over her, standing six feet. He was a whopping six inches taller than her. Not that she minded, she enjoyed having him taller, but to kiss him, it strained her neck.

She exited the restroom while drying her hair, and immediately got to work on her papers. It took her an hour and a half to finish grading and putting grades in took her about ten minutes. She read the clock, and it said 1:23pm. She thought she had plenty of time, so she quickly put an outfit out on her bed, consisting of light pink tank top and a black miniskirt. She paired it with thigh-high boots that were black. She wore the same black earrings she wore to the mall, but decided to get dressed in a bit. She had a couple of more papers to grade from a week before, and decided she had enough time to get dressed.

Time flew by quicker than she thought. It was already 3:47 pm and she hadn't realized. She was still sitting in her chair with her red undies on, grading her papers and doing some work. She was completely in the zone. She was not aware that Natsu had just climbed in from her window while cursing at himself for being late, and when he looked over, he was sure he was about to get a nosebleed.

His girlfriend was sitting there in very red undies and was so focused on her papers she didn't realize he came in. He blushed the same color of her underwear, and deciding to give her the respect she deserved, he looked up. He slowly walked behind her and tapped her shoulders, surprising her.

Seeing that Natsu was there, see calmed and gave him a hug.

"Oh, I missed you. Sorry, I didn't see you come in."

"N-nah, it's okay. Just go get ready, Luce."

"Why are you so red? And you're stuttering? That's new." She went and took his hands to wrap them around her waist. She then hugged him tighter, loving his warmth.

"Luce, are you _trying_ to tease me? You are seriously pushing my self-control."

"What are you talking about—" She noticed that her waist felt warmer than it should. That's when she looked down to see herself in her undies. And she just wrapped his arms around her naked waist.

"I-I, uhh, I gotta go use the restroom." Quickly grabbing her clothes, she ran to the bathroom.

Natsu finally let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Had she seriously _not_ noticed she was wearing only a bra and panties? He was sure she could feel his _excitement_ from being so close to her, she was pressed up against him. His heart was beating so fast, he didn't know how she _hadn't_ noticed before.

He thought Lucy was beautiful, and he had seen her naked before. It never struck him as a big deal, but now that they were in a relationship, he started to see these things differently. He would blush like crazy whenever he saw her and when he thought back to when he had seen her in a towel or something like that, he felt so… captivated. She was a blonde goddess, and he thought he was the luckiest to have her. Her and her body was all his.

After having some explicit thoughts he tried pushing away, he noticed something. She had plenty of marks on her torso, but not anywhere else. Was her father trying to kill her? Why hadn't she defended herself with her arms? Her arms were clear, no scars or marks, but her torso had so many he was sure her skin was a different color compared to the rest of her body.

Natsu's blood boiled when he thought of her abusive bastard of a father. How could a father be so _cruel_ to their own daughter? He abused Lucy, and he got rid of her in the end for his own gain. Did Lucy ever get a chance to choose anything in her life?

Pushing his thoughts away, Lucy emerged out of the bathroom, both blushing and brushing her long blonde tresses. She walked past Natsu to grab her earring and hair tie and decided to braid her hair, leaving a couple of strands out.

"R-ready?"

"Yup, let's go, Luce!"

He dragged her out of her apartment and took her various places. For about four hours, they roamed, ate food, and even went for some window shopping much to Natsu's dismay. He hated shopping with Lucy, she took forever in choosing what she wanted.

At about 7:00pm, they strolled over to the park. Natsu told her to follow him, and she just looked confused. She wondered why he took her to the park, but when she saw a tandem, she knew exactly what he had planned. He got a tandem bike to bike around the lake. She thought it was sweet, but also realized it was getting dark. There was literally no one there in the area, but she still thought it was sweet. She then frowned, realizing she was wearing a skirt. There was no way she could bike without anyone getting a good view of her panties. Even if no one was there, if they biked to a place with people around, they probably could still see.

"Natsu, I really want to, but I'm wearing a skirt. If I bike, people will see my panties." Blushing, she realized how blunt she was, but decided she was more upset than embarrassed.

Looking down, he noticed her skirt, and then himself frowned. There was _no _way he was going to let her bike while wearing a skirt. The view was much too good, and not to mention, all _his_.

"Luce, gimme a second, I'll go grab you some pants. I'll be right back. Wait for me here with the bike, and make sure you keep your ringer on full volume. Call me if anything happens."

It was getting even darker outside. She nodded, but she felt bad that he had to go all the way back. Her house was fairly close to the park, only being a ten minute walk, but it was still troublesome. As he started walking, he hollered his name, realizing he needed the keys.

"Wait! Natsu! My keys!"

Hearing her, he turned around and saw her waving her keys. He was confused why he needed keys but then realized she locked her window when she wasn't home. He went back to get the keys and continued his journey back to her home.

She sighed, and waited. She didn't know how long he was going to take, but she knew it would be fairly quick. He used to play football in high school and being the best, he ran really fast.

Now that she thought about it, he had quit football in college. She had seen him play once with his friends, and she knew he was _really_ good. Why had he quit?

While pondering why he quit, she saw as Natsu was walking, he dropped his wallet in the alleyway. He walked past the alley, but his wallet dropped in the alley. Sighing, she went over to go pick it up. She stood there for a second wiping any dirt off of it, and looked up to see Natsu gone. How fast did that boy walk?

She was interrupted by two boys roughly her age giving her the up-down. She looked at them with disgust and checked the time. Natsu had been gone for fifteen minutes, meaning he should be back in about five minutes. Then, one of the boys walked up to her.

He was a bit taller than her, and said, "Hey, blondie, want to go with us? I promise we'll show you a _great_ time."

She would admit, she was panicking slightly because they cornered her in an alley when it was getting dark.

Nonetheless, she tried to keep a stern face. "Nope, not interested," she replied without hesitation. She was so used to flirtatious boys, and she always said no. Now that she had Natsu, it was even bigger no.

Smirking, he came closer. "Feisty, that's gotta be a good thing. Hey, Lucas, come here. Why don't you try to convince her? Maybe she'll be more obedient."

Lucy was just disgusted. Had they expected her to say yes? No way, she wasn't some object to be ogled at and then thrown away. She knew she deserved more respect than that.

"Listen, assholes, I'm not some object, okay? I deserve respect just like every other woman in this world and you two have no exception to that. Quit bothering me now, I already said no," she firmed stated, hoping her glare would make them back off.

It just encouraged them more. One came behind her and grabbed her hips, and the other her arm. Her burn hurt, and she swore his grip made the burn start bleeding.

"Ouch, let me go bastards!"

"Just be a little more obedient. I promise we'll show you a good time! We'll even throw a couple of twenties in there, okay?"

She was now fuming. Did he really thing she would go with them if they _paid_ her? It was so degrading she found herself kicking the one in the front straight in the balls.

"Shit! What the hell is your problem bitch?" He yelled.

Quickly coming back to the situation at hand, she now saw the dude in the front raising his fist. He was going to punch her for kicking him, and she just waited.

The man in the back held her tightly, making sure she couldn't escape, and the man in the front landed a blow to her head. She was sure she was bleeding from her head, and her head was spinning and aching. She didn't think he would actually hit her, yet, here she was. He also proceeded to punch her in the stomach.

She was released and bent over in pain. She saw the man smirk, the thought he was winning.

"Just come with us, you'll be fine. The pain will go way, don't _worry_."

Why were they so insistent?

"Just leave me the fuck alone, asshole! I already told you, but I guess a kick to your _hardly_ _existent_ balls did nothing! Do I have to kick you again? " She yelled to no avail.

Angry, he raised his fist to hit her again, but this time, Lucy felt nothing. She opened her eyes and saw Natsu holding the guy by the shirt, and he was bleeding.

"How dare you even lay your _finger_ on her? You worthless bastard, how dare you _touch _her? She told you back off, why can't you just _fucking listen_?"

She saw Natsu, and he looked so angry. His eyes flashed the most amount of hatred and anger she had ever seen in anyone's eyes, and they burned with fury. He was pissed, and she wasn't holding him back.

Natsu punched the guy straight in the face, and that seemed to do it. He was out cold, and Natsu turned his attention the the one still holding Lucy. He grabbed Lucy ever so softly, and yanked the man from her. He gently moved her while he went and punched the other guy right in the gut. Then he went to kick him, but a hand stopped him. Lucy shook her head, and pushed him back.

Natsu was confused, they tortured her, and she was defending him?

What he saw next was probably the most amazing and scary thing he had ever seen.

Lucy grabbed the man, and he gave her a look of mercy. She smiled, and then it turned into a _vengeful_ smile. She grabbed him and kicked him in the balls, _hard_. Then he fell on his knees, and she kneed him in the face. He then joined his partner in crime on the floor.

Smiling a pained smile at Natsu, she walked over to him. She looked at him, and he looked like he was in awe, mouth drooping open. When he made eye contact with her, worry flooded his emotions and he ran to her.

"Lucy! Jesus— Are you okay?!"

"Yeah, he just punched me a bit. I think my head is bleeding a bit, but I'm mostly fine. I think we should head home. Help me?"

"Yeah, of course. Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital?"

"No need, I think I'll be fine. I promise. Let's just go."

Natsu nodded, and he went to pick Lucy up bridal style. He knew her head must have been pounding and her stomach must have been aching. She was having a hard time walking, yet she still managed to knock that guy out.

After reaching home, he laid her on the bed. He told her to stay and had her change into comfy clothing. She wore some sweatpants and, deciding to wear a baggy shirt to make it easier to ice her stomach, she put on a very loose t-shirt she found in her closet.

Natsu returned with some warm water and a towel. He had the first aid kit to wrap her forehead, and an ice pack for her bruise.

"Here— put this on your stomach. Lay down. I'll take care of your head."

She did as she was told, and Natsu started to wipe the blood off her face. He worked gently, moving his hands with the utmost amount of care as if she was a porcelain doll.

After bandaging her head, he took a look at Lucy's stomach. He noticed all the scars, but the nasty bruise stuck out more. It was fairly big, probably the size of a tennis ball.

"Luce, what happened?"

Natsu remembered walking back. He was all cheery, he was excited to bike with Lucy. But, when he returned, he was confused as to why Lucy wasn't at the bike. He looked around the area, and he didn't see her. He got worried, so he took his phone out to call her. As he was doing so, he heard a yelp.

It was Lucy's scream, and it sounded like she was in pain.

Rushing to her sound, he ran and found her in an alley, and these two men were harassing her. When he saw her, he saw the man punch her gut.

His brain stopped functioning.

The girl whom he loved was being _hurt_ right in front of him.

And he had witnessed it.

At this point, all he saw was red. He charged at the retard punching Lucy, and he hit him. Right in the nose. He was out cold. Then he turned his attention to the other dude, and Lucy had taken care of him.

He then examined her body, and his heart dropped.

He was _bleeding_.

She looked like she was in so much pain and misery, she wobbled over to Natsu, and he caught her. She exchanged some words with her and took her back.

Natsu laid his head back and listened intently. If he was allowed to, he would _kill_ them.

"So, I was waiting for you, and I noticed you dropped your wallet in the alley, so I picked it up — here by the way— and I saw these two men walking my way, roughly my age. They asked me if I wanted to go with them, and I said no. They seem to be encouraged though, so I kept saying leave me alone."

Lucy stopped. She saw Natsu and he looked absolutely anguished. He looked like he was about to cry.

"Natsu, it's okay. I've been through worse. I should've been able to handle myself, but I was caught off guard. I'm sorry for worrying you—"

"Bullshit! Lucy! It is _not _okay! I should've been there, goddamnit! I should've been able to save you! How did I think it was even _remotely_ okay to leave you? Especially when it was dark out! I can't believe it! It's all my fault Lucy. All my fault…"

Remembering his past, he froze.

_*He remembered being in 2nd grade. He was only six. He remembered returning home and jumping into his foster father's arms._

_"Igneel! I'm home!"_

_"Ahh, my boy, come here! How was your day?"_

_"Great, dad! I made a drawing of us!"_

_Natsu proceeded to show Igneel a drawing of Natsu and himself, and Igneel smiled. His son was just the cutest._

_"I'm going to hang this drawing on the fridge, okay? Your ugly drawing must be shown to anyone who walks in here."_

_"Hey, old man! My drawing is beautiful! You're just jealous cuz I'm better than you."_

_"As if. Now, go take a shower. We're going to your uncle's home tomorrow. Remember that."_

_Natsu just rolled his eyes. Of course he knew. His uncle wasn't actually his uncle. He was just Igneel's best friend, and they were so close Natsu called him Uncle Metalicana. He treated his son, Gajeel, as his cousin. Even though Gajeel was grumpy as hell, they both still bonded._

_He took a quick shower and got out. He noticed Igneel was doing some work in his study, and he got an idea. His teacher had told the class cooking for your parents always made them happy, so one day, they should try it._

_Natsu decided to follow the advice, and tried making Igneel an egg. He put oil in the pan, and left it to heat up. While he got the other ingredients, he didn't notice the oil starting to bubble. Soon enough, it was a fire. And not just any fire, a grease fire. _

_"No! What do I do—"_

_He suddenly remembered his teacher saying something about putting fires out with water, so he put the fire under the water._

_That was one of the worst mistakes he ever made._

_That seemed to just aggravate the grease fire, and soon enough, the house caught on fire. The fire was spreading, and the smoke was becoming a choking hazard._

_"Natsu? What's that smell— Holy shit! Natsu! Come here! Get out of the house! Quickly! Go take the phone and call the cops!"_

_Igneel practically yelled orders around and while Natsu ran from the kitchen, Igneel stayed behind, stuck behind some debris that fell._

_"Igneel! Come on! I'm not leaving without you!_

_"No, Natsu, leave! I promise, I'm coming, but you need to leave the home _**_now_**_. Go knock on the neighbors door and tell him to help you! I'm coming!"_

_Deciding to believe him, Natsu dashed outside. After he did so, the home crumbled, and collapsed. He stood there, frozen. _

_"Igneel?"_

_After a while, he heard sirens in the distance, but the house was already gone. It burnt to a crisp. He saw some flying debris, and one particular piece of debris caught his eye. _

_It was his drawing of Igneel and him.*_

_"_Natsu? Hey Natsu! It's okay! I promise!"

"…"

"Natsu!"

Natsu snapped out of his daze and looked at Lucy. She looked concerned and he felt guilty. Now was not the time to be remembering his past. She noticed he had some tears going down his face, so she wiped his face and looked at him tenderly.

"Natsu, are you okay? It's okay, I promise. I'm right here."

"Luce? Sorry, I zoned out. Did they hurt you anywhere else?"

"No, I'm fine, I swear. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, did they touch you anywhere?"

"No, Natsu. They grabbed my arms and hips, they landed a couple of blows on me, but nothing else. You took care of 'em, though. Thank you."

Natsu smiled with sadness laced in. He held her arm that was holding his face.

She smiled at his worry but then shivered. She remembered the incident she got into, and she fumed. She let go and started yelling.

"Argh, those _asshats_! I swear if I get my hands on them, I'll have them _neutered._"

Natsu was feeling a lot of things at that moment. He was worried because she was hurt, he was scared, because she just threatened to have someone neutered, and he was in awe, because his girlfriend was a freaking badass.

"Luce, it's over now. I think you should take tomorrow off, you're still recovering."

"No, I won't miss a day for a head injury. I have come to school with worse. You all need me. You can't win this one."

"Lucy, I swear— stay home! You need to recover and the last thing I need to hear is you getting even worse. Please, for my sake, Lucy."

Lucy knew she shouldn't take a day off, but he was just so worried, and she knew she probably should stay.

No, she couldn't. Her father would find out and bring her home. She was only allowed to stay home if she was sick enough that she wasn't able to move.

"No, Natsu, I _can't_. I have to go. My father, he—"

'_Lucy, if you are to miss any days of your job without a proper reason, I will get a notice. You will return home immediately. I don't need a slacking daughter who can't find her job important. Making money is first. Now go, don't disappoint me.'_

"Natsu, I'm sorry, I have to go tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll inform Makarov of my situation and I hope he'll lay some work off. Is that fine?"

Sighing in reluctance, he gave in. There was no way he would win. "Fine, but promise you'll call me the _second_ you feel dizzy or in any pain. Promise?"

Smiling, she agreed. This was the least she could do.

"Okay, I promise Natsu. Now, let's eat some dinner and watch a movie. Do pasta and a horror movie sound good?"

"Hell yeah! I'll get the movie ready, you go make pasta. Please, let me know if you need help."

Nodding, she got up only to sit right back down.

"_Shit_."

"Luce, are you okay? What happened?"

"I think my stomach refuses to give you food."

"That sounds weird, Luce. Sit back, I'll make some microwave Mac-n-Cheese. I don't suck at using a microwave at least. I lived off the microwave until I met you. I'll be right back."

He left, and Lucy just wondered how in the world she got such a lovely boyfriend.

He was so thoughtful, so caring, and he _understood_ her. She hadn't told Natsu about being a Heartfilia, but she was going to wait. She was going to wait until he was all ears, and she had to make sure she was the one to tell him.

Everything will be fine.

_ Right?_

**Okay, my lovelies! Sorry, that update was a little late, albeit it was the same day, it was a little late. Yes, she got attacked. I made this chapter so drama-packed because I felt like you guys deserved it. The next chapter will be out Sunday! I'm changing my days to upload to be on SUNDAYS! I have to go to school on Monday, so updating will be difficult. **

**Yes, Natsu had a difficult past, but THAT'S NOT ALL! That's just a glimpse, and I hope you guys stay tuned!**

**Reviews are welcome, and any criticism is welcome! (RESPECTFUL).**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, well, I tried, but I guess I'm just going to upload whenever I feel like it. I write as quickly as I possibly can, so don't worry, I won't make you guys wait months before I upload. Here's another chapter because I felt like I owed you guys.**

**Enjoy! Hope you guys stick around for other stories I'm thinking about. I can't manage more than one story at a time, though, sorry! **

**Here we go!**

oOo

So, Lucy probably should have listened. Her head felt like someone had hit her.

Oh right, someone did.

She felt horrible, her head was pounding and the bandage was just so damn obvious. She wanted to stay home and rest. She didn't have enough energy to be thinking.

As Lucy walked into campus, she was bombarded with looks of concern, looks of confusion, and even heard some snarky comments.

Just _great_.

Lucy walked into her classroom and sat down, writing her agenda for the day. She was going to return her papers to her students, give a lesson about analytical writing, and was going to give them—

'_What was I going to give them? It was some graded assignment…'_

A light bulb went off in Lucy's brain. '_I was supposed to bring the _**_papers I prepared yesterdayyyy_****…'**

Immediately hating herself, she got up an groaned. Glancing at her clock, she mentally calculated how much time she had before being able to go home and get her papers.

It was 7:06am, and she internally panicked. She had exactly nineteen minutes before she was late to start her class, and she was unprepared.

Deciding to take the risk because she figured she had nothing to lose, she left grabbing her keys and running out the door. Her home was 15 minutes away, and knowing she would never make it back on time, she left Makarov a quick note.

Getting into her car, she drove as fast as she legally could to her home. She ran inside and opened her bedroom door, but as she was opening it, she tripped and hit her head against the floor.

'_Fuuckkkkkkk, holy shit, motherfu—"_

Why had she chosen to wear heels again?

Lucy got up and groaned. She rubbed her head and as she opened her eyes, she felt dizzy. After adjusting to her surroundings, she noticed a skid mark on her hardwood floor and deduced it was from her heels which were marked as well. '_Now I have to change my heels… I am so wearing some smaller heels…' _She took her cursed heels off and chucked them in the corner of her room, and found some more comfy black heels with a one inch heel. That should probably work better, less chances of falling.

After changing her heels, she noticed the pain in her head return. Anxiety filled her mind and she was imagining the worst of the worst. Was she able to go and teach for two hours in her condition? What if she blacked out?

Looking at her bedside alarm clock, she noticed she only had three minutes until class started.

A completely different reason to be anxious, but anxiety filled her once again and she ran with her papers out of her home and locked her door. She hurriedly opened her car door and sat inside. She started her engine and ran it as fast as she could.

oOo

Natsu noticed something was off.

He arrived to class on time only because Lucy gotten hurt and he wanted to make sure she would be okay, but when he got there, she wasn't even there.

Now, the Lucy he knew _always_ arrived half an hour before class started. She would be sitting in her chair with her glasses on, looking intently at some paper. She would always glance up when someone entered and she gave them the most heart-melting smile. She always said good morning in her most sweet voice, and genuinely asked how they were. After she asked, she would usher the class to be quiet, and she began her lesson with a powerpoint and warm-up.

Today was not the case.

He arrived and Lucy was nowhere to be seen. He examined her classroom, and the lights were on and her stuff were on her desk. Her chair was not pushed in, it stuck out as if she was facing the door, and her things were scattered on her desk.

He took liberty in rummaging through her things, and noticed her keys were not present.

'_Did she go somewhere? This early? What in the world for—?'_

As he was wondering, he heard someone run through the hallways, their heels clicking with every step. Curiously, he peered out the door to find a disheveled Lucy running towards her classroom with a manila folder tucked under her armpit.

"I— I'm here!" She breathed, obviously out of breath. She opened her phone and saw that it was 7:32pm. It took her twenty minutes to make it back, and she was late with _another_ head injury. Life was just _so_ great, wasn't it?

"Lucy? Why are you out of breath, and why do you look like you just battled some lions on your way here?"

Lucy rolled her eyes, and tiredly walked to her desk. She plopped herself on the chair and she knew she wasn't feeling okay. Her head was spinning and she felt as if she was going fall at any given moment.

'_If I skip, the kids would be curious, and if word got to father, I might as well kill myself.'_

Deciding to woman up, she got up and grabbed her water bottle. She drank a generous amount of water and had a look of determination in her eyes. She wasn't about to give up on teaching for a _measly_ _headache_.

"Alright class, enough play time, you guys had _plenty _of time to rest, now it's time for class."

Natsu eyed her worriedly, and he met her eyes. He gave her a worried look, and she just gave him a look of fondness. She looked ready to teach, and that was enough reason to let her do as she pleased.

He sat down, and listened intently.

"Alright, so I have some lovely news. Your classes' test average was a 94%! You guys, I'm so proud, I'm not kidding. I was so happy to grade your tests and see how much effort you guys all put in to do well. You guys deserve this— here, lemme pass them back. You guys can keep them, I already put the grades in and everyone took it."

Most of the class gasped and their eyes widened. How in the world did they get a _94%?_ Usually, someone messed up their average so bad it would end up being a 75%. This time, everyone had gotten a decent enough grade, which meant Dragneel also got a decent grade.

As realization set in, the whole class silently turned their heads to look and Natsu, and he was beaming with happiness. Lucy had just passed back him his test, and he scored a 97/98, which was a _99 percent_.

Everyone in the class were notified that Natsu got a 99 percent, and they all started to choke on surprise. Just how in the name of the lord did Natsu get a 99?

"Since I can, I want to make two important announcements for recognization. Natsu, you did so well, I'm so proud of you, you got a 99. That was probably the second best grade in class!"

"No way in _hell_ flamebrain got a 99. Lucy, you have _got _to be shittin' us right now."

"Hey, ice princess, what the _fuck_ did you just say?"

"I refuse to believe an idiot like you got a 99. I think I'm losing my hearing."

"No, you're just senile, old man. I will punch the living _daylights outta you when I get there—_"

"_Gray Fullbuster and Natsu Dragneel_. Three things. _One_, do _not_ speak out of turn, two, it's _Miss Ashley_ to you, and three, do _not _insult a each other in class. If you fail to follow these things, you will _find my foot up your ass_. Have I made myself clear?"

Gulping in fear, they both took a seat, and just silently nodded.

Lucy inwardly slapped herself. How had she just responded to her students in class?

Gray and Natsu fought _all the time_. There was never a moment of peace in her classroom, and since they both always had rude comments ready for each other, she was stuck being the regulator.

Knowing fully well they both would rather die than admit it, she knew they were best buds. They had known each other since they little, so it was natural they hung out with each other. Since Natsu was practically glued to her, she often hung around Gray as well. He was a decent dude, and she knew he was a good influence for Natsu, and vice versa.

"As I was saying before I was _rudely interrupted_, I would like to say, Lisanna, your grade was great as well, you scored a 103 percent. I'm proud of both of you!"

Lisanna just smiled, knowing she was going to get a 103, she had the brains, so what was there to worry about?

Lisanna was always doing well in all her classes, and always scored higher than a 95. She did especially well in English, and it might as well be known, it was pretty obvious as to why.

She was crushing on a kid in her class, and she thought impressing him with her brains would be a good start. Except, he was completely oblivious. How is it that mankind raised such a _doofus_? He _never_ noticed anything when it came to her, and whenever she got praised for her work, all she heard were snickers or remarks such as, "_of course she got a 98." _It was frustrating, but she decided to just smile and work her way through it.

After praising her students, she further explained the day's lesson. "You all will partner up and work on a paper with a partner of your choosing. I'm trusting you guys to pick your partners wisely. You have half an hour to finish this assignment and turn it in for a grade. Go get your papers and your time starts now."

Walking up to the classroom, the students all walked up to grab a piece of paper, and went searching for a partner. As Natsu was walking up, he noticed Lucy unconsciously rubbing her temples, and he was immediately filled with worry and doubt. Was she okay?

Noticing his worry, Lucy gave him a reassuring smile, and told him to go finish the assignment. He nodded uncertainly and made a beeline for Gray. He usually worked with him, but was recently banned since they always fought. Lucy gave them a chance to choose their partner's, right? So Gray it was.

They both looked at each other and nodded in affirmation when he was cut off by Lisanna, who looked nervous. She stood in front of him, and blurted, "Work with me, Natsu!"

Giving her an odd look, he looked behind him and Gray eyed him, telling him to tell her no. He nodded, but she looked nice, and he didn't want to be mean.

"Hey, uh, Lisanna, I kinda wanted to—"

"Great! Let's go!"

She _dragged_ him to her seat, and sat next him, secretly dying inside that she just got her crush to work with her. She saw his disappointed face, but quickly brightened up seeing Gray's pissed-off face.

Looking at their papers, they were assigned to define some terms and write a short response to the very random prompt: _What kind of relationship do you believe to be healthy? What traits need to be present for the relationship to work out? _

_Answer this prompt with an argument and develop it into your persuasive paragraph. I want you guys to argue or convince me why your answer is better. This is only for your work, not for correct answers. Give your opinion in correct format and good luck._

Lucy had a thing where she gave us the most random prompts, and he assumed she just gave it so she could see how everyone was writing, but Natsu wondered. '_What is a healthy relationship considered as?_' He never really put any thought into it, he just knew he loved Lucy and she loved him back, so they just agreed to a relationship. What more was there to it?

As he wondered, Lisanna frowned. "Natsu, we have to finish this. We have only twenty-five minutes left. Come on."

They defined some terms and wrote their opinion down on their own. They figured Lucy wanted them to work together for the definitions and work on the paper themselves.

"Hey, Natsu, what did you say? I think it's pretty healthy for a relationship to have agreement, right? If you think about it, if you always argue, then what's the point?"

Natsu kinda listens, but was still wondering. He had some ideas down, but nothing super serious.

"Huh, Lisanna, sorry. I still trying to figure it out."

"Ah— sorry. I'll leave you to it then."

As Lisanna said so, she dropped her pencil and it landed next to Natsu. He instinctively went to reach for it, but Lisanna saw this as an opportunity. What if she reached across him to get it? Maybe he'll blush!

Confidently moving herself, she moved so she could quickly grab it, reaching across Natsu's lap and resting herself momentarily to balance herself while she got her pencil.

Natsu immediately felt weird. Why was this girl on _top of him_? With a confusing look, he just eyed her weirdly. He noticed he was slightly warm on the cheeks, but not due to affection for her, no, it was because he noticed _she was pressing her breasts on his thighs_. He felt extremely uncomfortable and shifted himself so she could the message to get off.

She was extremely satisfied, and saw he was blushing. '_Mission accomplished! Finally, he noticed me!'_

Unaware to them both, Lucy had been watching the entire time. Feeling jealously bubble up inside her, she huffed in annoyance. It was so damn obvious Lisanna liked him, and she was trying to get a feel while giving him one herself. Standing up, she said, "time's up! I'm coming to collect your papers, and after I do so, go back to your _original_ seats."

She walked over and started to grab papers from everyone, and when she got to Natsu, she eyed Lisanna and snatched her paper and did the same with Natsu.

Natsu shot her a confused look. Was she angry?

As she finished, she returned to her seat and put the papers in her manila folder. She then presented them with a powerpoint with some notes and terms to know. She was also introducing a new book for them to be reading, _Salvage the Bones,_ by Jesmyn Ward.

"Okay guys, we are introducing a new book!"

They all sat down in their original seats and attentively listened. She handed out the books to everyone and explained how they were going to eventually write an analytical paper on it, but since the book was really easy, she expected them to have this all done in one week.

"This is just a side project while we work on reviewing for the finals. The book is extremely easy, so this should be an easy grade for you all. It's a quick read. I expect you all to finish the book by the end of this week, and come in on Friday with an outline of your paper. I am collecting that outline to grade. Now, onto review notes."

As Lucy was explaining, she suddenly was hit with another hit of dizziness. She thought she was over this, but head injuries seemed to be a nuisance as well as dangerous. Grabbing her water bottle, she drank some water in hopes for it to relax her and help her make it though the last hour and ten minutes of class. As she walked back, she noticed her legs giving away, and focused really hard to make sure she walked properly.

"O-okay. So please write down the definition for these—"

She felt extremely dizzy at this point, and held her head. Was she bleeding again? She lightly felt her bandage, and noticed a bump that wasn't there before. Did she fall right on her injury? That would explain why it was hurting so much. When she brought her hand back, she saw traces of red. Shit, she was bleeding.

Looking up, she saw her students whispering and all looking concerned. One even asked, "Miss, Ashley, what happened to your head?"

"N-nothing, it was an accident. Guys, I-I'm going t-to quickly go to the nurse…"

She ended up walking out of class, and before doing so, she told the students to copy the notes down. They obliged, but all still have worry written across their features.

She looked over to Natsu, and he was already getting out of his seat.

"Natsu, where are you going?"

"Luce, I'm coming with you."

"No, that won't be necessary. Finish copying the notes. I'll b-be back in minute."

"Nope, I'm coming, you can't convince me otherwise."

"Yes, I can, I'm your professor. Natsu, go back_ right now_." Seeing his expression, she walked over and whispered. "Natsu, I'll fine. I promise. Just give me a moment. Please don't make this more suspicious."

She was practically leaning on him, trying not to get her legs to give up on her. Natsu noticed this and grabbed her arms to steady her. "Luce, you aren't okay. Your injury's bleeding, lemme help you."

"No it's fine, I'm fine, nothing's wrong… everything is fine…"

She walked away from him to walk to the door, but as she walked to the door, she felt her legs give up, and she fell.

The class shot up from their seats in worry and started yelling, "Miss Ashley!"

Natsu, with his quick reflexes, ran straight towards her and caught her before she fell. When he caught her, he noticed she passed out.

Furrowing his brows, he carried Lucy towards the door, and before leaving, he said, "I got her guys. I'll take her to the nurse. I'll also inform the principal. Gray, grab my stuff?"

Nodding without question, Grab went to put his things away. Natsu then left with Lucy in his arms, obviously not okay.

Seriously, how much of an idiot was she?

oOo

"Lucy is fine, she just needs some rest. It's seems that her injury was further aggravated, hence the bump and her previous injury bleeding. She just needs to give herself a break, and take some pain meds periodically. She also needs to be careful of her injury, it looked like she hurt herself again, and that probably was why it was aggravated."

Natsu just nodded, ushering her to continue.

"Well, that seems to be it. She should probably go home, and I'll arrange for another teacher to take her place. I'll also notify Matser so she can go home. Could you watch her? I'll excuse you as well. Can you explain what happened? In detail?"

Natsu, without any hesitation, told her _everything_.

Erza just nodded, and eventually became surprised. She even looked ready to kill someone when he told her about the men who attacked her.

"Alright, if that is the case, I'll probably not mention it to anyone. It doesn't seem like a relationship to mention. I'll approve of it, Lucy deserves so much, and knowing you Natsu, she'll be happy. Just promise me you'll make her happy, or I'll _break every single one of your bones. Have I made myself clear, Natsu?_"

Natsu shrunk in fear and simply nodded. The she-devil loved Lucy, and had known Natsu for years. She always had a soft spot for Lucy, and when he walked in with Lucy, she immediately questioned him as to what happened, even threatening to tear his limbs off if he didn't give her a proper explanation.

"Erza, I promise. Of course, you know me, I'd never do such a thing. Plus, I'm worried about her too. Jesus— she's my girlfriend for fuck's sake."

"What kind of _tone_ do you think you are _using_ with _me_, mister?"

"Chill, sorry, but I'm just frustrated. I told her not to come to work today, yet being the stubborn idiot she is, she still insisted on coming. She passed out in class."

Erza's expression softened and she understandingly nodded.

"Natsu, she has gone through a lot… I'm hoping you realize this. She would never accept defeat and will just say she's fine. She won't ask for help, even if she needs it. Why else do you think she didn't immediately call you to help her? She didn't even scream. She probably just took the beating and wasn't expecting you to help her. She is most likely very grateful you assisted her, more than you realize, Natsu."

Erza had developed a loving relationship with Lucy, and Lucy considered Erza one of her greatest friends, besides Levy. She had yet to tell Levy that she had befriend another person, and even opened up to her.

"Take her home, Natsu. Let her rest. I'll let Master know. Don't expect me to always do this for you, this is for Lucy, got it?"

"Yup, I'm taking her home. See ya, thanks."

Natsu headed out with Lucy, and he realized he needed her keys to take her. He went back to the classroom and called Gray, and he annoyingly responded.

"What do you want, ash brains? Oh, Lucy, how is she? What's happening?"

"Gray, can you get my things and Lucy's things? I need to take her home."

Understanding the gravity of the situation, he listened, and grabbed all their things. He then followed Natsu out the door and to the parking lot.

"What happened? I saw her bandage but decided not to ask. I thought I could ask you later."

Natsu immediately seemed to be in a bitter mood, and responded, "She was hurt, we went to the park and I left to grab something. When I came back, these two dudes were hitting her. I knocked one of them out. She got an injury to the head, though."

Gray's eyes widened in surprise, and then he became curious. "You knocked _one_ out? What about the other?"

Natsu suddenly smirked. "Lucy took care of him. She kicked him in the balls and knocked him out with a knee to the face."

Gray just laughed. Of course Lucy did that. A year ago, the Lucy he knew would _never_ even consider hitting anyone. Ever since she started hanging out with Natsu and himself, she got exposed to a lot of fights, and in those fights, she recently started hurting others herself for the sake of Natsu and sometimes himself. She was a lot stronger than she let on.

"Man, I wish I was there to see that. Of course, I would try beating them up, but man, that must have _hurt_."

"Yeah, we got home and she refused to stay home today. I kept trying to convince her that she needs her rest, but you know how stubborn she is."

"She came to school with an injury like that? I mean I know she is stubborn, but that's too much. What did Erza say?"

Natsu just shuddered when thought of the red-haired devil. She gave him an earful, and even threatened to murder him if he brought any harm to Lucy. Like he ever would.

"She said she's fine, she just needs rest. I'm supposed to go and stay with her, and she let gramps know we're leaving. She got a substitute for her."

They reached the car, and Natsu decided to ask Gray to help him take her home. He was very willing, but probably to help Lucy and escape school.

"Hey, uh, I think someone should sit with Lucy, to make sure she doesn't hit herself by accident. Mind driving?"

"Sure, gimme the keys."

Gray got in the driver's seat and Natsu situated himself in the back with Lucy in his arms. He had her head laying in his lap, and he just stroked her hair. She was just too stubborn for her own good.

As Gray pulled into Lucy's driveway, Lucy began to stir. She groaned, and then opened her eyes to see herself in a vehicle of some sorts and she immediately started panicking.

"Wha— Natsu? Gray? What the _hell_ am I doing here? I have a class to tea— _my head_."

She just grabbed her head and rubbed it. When she noticed her bandage was new and she turned to Natsu.

"Natsu? Did I go to see Erza?"

Natsu, happy that she woke up, went and hugged her. He was just so worried for her. She always seemed to get into trouble since she was so clumsy, and all it did was eat up his insides.

"Luce, thank the _lord_. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, just tell me why I am currently at my home with you two."

"Well, you passed out in class and I took you to Erza. She said you were fine, but needed some rest since it seemed like your injury was aggravated. Did you hit your head on something, you weirdo?"

Lucy immediately thought back to when she fell in her bedroom and hit her head exactly where it was injured. She felt guilty for worrying everyone so much and hugged him back.

"Sorry, Natsu."

"You've got nothing to apologize for. Now let's go inside, you need to rest."

Opening the car door, Lucy was about to step outside until Natsu came and scooped her up. She let out a very high-pitched feminine shriek, and blushed.

"What are you _doing_?"

"What does it look like? I'm carrying you. You just woke up, no way I'm letting you walk."

Gray took the keys and locked the car, and he opened the front door to Lucy's place. Lucy was then allowed to walk herself, and she excused herself to change.

Natsu just sighed, and he went to the kitchen to get some water.

"Hey, popsicle, want some?"

He offered Gray some water, and Gray just took it and drank it. He then crashed on the couch while Natsu decided to go check on Lucy. He walked up the stairs and noticed that halfway out of Lucy's bedroom was a very obvious skid mark of some sort. Did she fall on her way inside? Getting a bad feeling, he lightly knocked on the door.

"Luce? You in there?"

Instead of a reply, he heard the door unlock. He opened the door a crack to glance inside and saw Lucy pulling her shirt on and she looked behind her, "hey, come in."

Blushing slightly, he walked in and closed the door behind him. He walked up to her and looked at her head, making sure there was no sign of bleeding. He then looked at her face, and she seemed to be doing a bit better.

He grabbed her arm gently and asked, "hey, doing better?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a bit lightheaded. I'll make some tea for myself, you and Gray want something?"

"Nah, I'll make it. You go get some rest, I'll handle the drinks."

Lucy smiled. Natsu was always caring and she loved that about him, but she just couldn't let one fact slide.

Natsu knew _nothing _about cooking. It was actually kinda scary as to how much he didn't know. She once found him trying to make her some eggs, and he somehow ended up burning the ceiling. She still doesn't know how in the world he managed to burn the ceiling.

Laughing lightly, she just poked his chest and replied, "haha, nice one. Again, you want something? And if Gray is still here, does he want something too? Go ask, I'll be down in a sec."

"No, Luce, come on, I can do it!"

"No you _can't_. If you can't make eggs, you sure as _hell_ can't make tea."

Natsu opened his mouth to say something, but immediately shut it knowing he couldn't win this one. He knew he couldn't make anything without burning some portion of the home.

"Fine. But I will stand there to make sure you're okay. Okay?"

"Sure, why not? Just don't bother me."

He then watched her leave, but then a question popped in his head.

"Wait— Lucy."

She turned just before reaching the door and answered, "yeah?"

"What are those skid marks on your floor?"

Lucy gulped. She knew he would get angry if he found out about her little _accident_ this morning. He was already paranoid enough just as is.

"Oh, it's nothing. It's probably from my heels, you know, walking inside."

Natsu just stared at her, giving her the dumb look. He knew she was lying. He didn't know how he knew, he just knew. There would be something about the way she said things that would be a little different, and it may sound the same to anyone, but Natsu _knew_ Lucy. He knew she was lying.

"Very funny, Lucy, cut the crap, what happened?"

"I told you I'm fine!"

"I didn't even ask that, which means something did happen. Lucy, did you fall or something?"

Lucy sighed in defeat, and just told him, "okay, I fell this morning. I rushed to get some papers I had been meaning to give you guys. It made me late and while I was getting them, I sorta kinda _fell_. My heels skid the floor and down I went. I'm fine though, okay?"

Natsu thought back to what Erza said. She had mentioned something about a new bump present on her head, somewhere near her injury. She also had said it was aggravated, which only means…

"Lucy! You _fell_ and _hit _your injury in the _exact same spot?! _Just what the _fuck is wrong with you_?! Do you know how _dangerous_ that is? Forget the papers! You always have them copied on your laptop, why didn't you just print them again? Lucy, I swear, your idiocy will be the _death _of me!"

Lucy just stood there in realization. Why didn't she think of that? She did have the document on her laptop. Why didn't she just print it? She was about hit her head in frustration when a hand stopped her.

"Lucy! Quit hurting yourself more! You should have asked me to get them! Or just print them again! Why did you run in your _heels_?"

Lucy understood his frustration, but she couldn't help but feel annoyed. She was really trying, and yet all he was doing was yelling at her. The yelling made her head hurt, and she eventually just yelled back.

"I'm _trying_! I really am! I don't want to mess things up and maybe if I was a bit stronger, I wouldn't have been beaten! If I just had hit him back earlier, this wouldn't be an issue, but I froze like an idiot! I didn't know what to do, I just froze…"

*"_You little bitch, how dare you talk back to me? You even dare to give me a look? Do you want to die?"_

_Lucy cried, and all her father did was whip her even more. She was bleeding profusely from her back wounds, but all she did was silently cry. She could have fought back. She knew she was strong enough. But something about this situation made her freeze and just take the beating._

_She never screamed once.*_

Lucy just stood there, all her frustration becoming too much, and a tear ran down her face. She just didn't understand why everyone yelled at her for messing up. She tried, she really did, but sometimes anxiety would make her freeze. And they knew. Oh they knew she would freeze, but that didn't stop them from yelling.

"Natsu, I'm sorry. I—"

Natsu grabbed Lucy and hugged her tightly in a reassuring hug. She just cried, not making a sound besides sniffling. He had made her cry, and he was extremely remorseful for it.

"Luce, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. I'm just upset with myself for not being able to protect you. I wish I never left you, and I wish you called me to help whenever you need it. I know you're a strong person, and I know you may not want help. But, I'm here for you now, and I won't hesitate to come and help you, no matter the situation. That's a promise, okay?"

Lucy smiled and felt another tear go down her face. Not once did she open up to anyone but Levy. She thought it was just easier to bottle it up and deal with it later rather than crying about it.

*"_Just sit in the corner and behave. Don't embarrass me or you'll regret it."*_

Lucy smiled, and hugged him back. She felt so safe, so happy. Breaking from her hug, she looked at Natsu and he too was smiling. She leaned up and pecked his cheek and told him that she'll handle the drinks. He nodded and followed her out the door.

oOo

"Wow, you sure took your sweet time, flame retardant. It's almost 10, so can I just crash here for a while?"

"Hell no!"

"Of course!"

"…"

"Natsu, he can stay. It's my place, I get the final say. Gray, you can stay. I'll go make some drinks, so Natsu, wanna get the poker set to play blackjack? It more fun with poker pieces and betting."

"You're lucky I love you."

Gray just watched the two peck each other's lips, and became even more confused. Wasn't Natsu supposed to be her _friend?_

"Uh, _what_? Am I missing something here? Did you two become such good friends that kissing is allowed?"

Lucy blushed, and Natsu retorted, "Oi, Icicle, Lucy is my _girlfriend_. It's normal to kiss when you are in a relationship with someone. I always knew you were stupid, but I didn't think common sense was lacking too."

"What? How was _I_ supposed to know you two were dating when no one _told me_?! Also, you're the stupid one! You're the one who doesn't get it when a girl is trying to flirt with you! I was even more surprised to find out you're dating someone since you weren't able to figure out when Lisanna—"

"_Gray_. _Stop._"

Gray realized his mistake and immediately shut up. They both turned to see Lucy and she was in the kitchen, humming a tune while preparing the drinks. She didn't seem to hear anything.

Sighing in relief, Natsu glared at Gray. "You _trying_ to make me single? She'll _strangle_ me if she finds out what Lisanna tried doing today. I figured it out way too late, I'll admit, but when I did, I tried getting her off me."

"Idiot, I'm telling you, she likes you. It's too obvious. She always wears revealing clothing and pushes up her jugs whenever she is in front of you. Do you not get she is trying to get you to notice her?"

Natsu just stood there dumbfounded. A girl _liked_ him? Since when?

Gray snickered, "of course you didn't notice. I almost forgot your obliviousness to women and their _obvious_ flirting with you."

Gray would never admit this, _ever_, but he knew Natsu was attractive. He didn't like Natsu in _that_ way, no, he was straight, but he knew what girls found attractive and Natsu was a check in all those categories. He was tall, had a shit-ton of muscles, chiseled abs, and he was slightly tanned. He also had a handsome face, which is just a plus to it all. Natsu was once voted one of the hottest men in his college, but he never paid any attention to it.

Gray knew this and he absolutely resented him for it. Sure, Gray himself was also very handsome and got a lot of ladies, but Natsu was considered more handsome, according to their school vote. He also got more women flirting with him than he got on a daily basis, and it just annoyed him.

"Asshole, quit trying to ruin my relationship. Stop talking about her, I'll deal with it later. Lucy is coming."

Lucy walked in, and eyed the two boys weirdly. '_They're getting along quite nicely… something is wrong…'_

"Natsu, I'll be right back, I gotta get the cards. I'll be right back."

Lucy walked away, but unbeknownst to them, she was hiding right behind the wall.

"You should be glad she didn't hear you, ice for brains, or else I would have seriously dislocated your jaw."

"Bonfire, she heard _nothing_. When Lucy hums, she is completely in her zone."

"Okay, you know what, come on, let's set the game up. Also, bonfire? Did you hit your head somewhere? What kind of dumbass calls someone—"

"Shut the fuck up, you piece of—"

"I found them!" Lucy shouted in victory making the two boys shut up."

"Fine, jerk."

Lucy walked towards the boys but frowned. There was something they were hiding, and she would interrogate Natsu later.

"Okay guys, oh you set it up— perfect."

Lucy shuffled the deck and handed out two cards. She then explained the rules of blackjack just in case they forgot.

"Okay, you guys remember how to play? You get two cards, and you add their values. Less than 21, you can still ask for a hit, in which I give you a card, and if you bust, which means you get more than 21, you automatically lose. You can still bluff though, so if I have a 23, I can still put money into the pot and make you guys lose money that way. Remember, king is 13, queen is 12, and jack is 11. Ace can be 1 or an 11, you choose. Got it?"

Natsu and Gray both nodded, and put their blinds in. They usually are supposed to play with 100k, but they decided to spice things up, as Natsu would put it, and used 500k instead. The blinds in this case would be 20k.

"Alright, let us begin."

oOo

"You damn cheater! I knew you were hiding something! Your stupid smirk said it all!"

"Then why did you bet all of your money, ice brain? I'm not the stupid one here, you are."

"You motherfucker—"

"BOYS. It is _just _a game. Chill. Natsu, I think we are done for the day. Pack the pieces up while I go and wash the cups."

They had been playing for three hours. It became so unbearable for Lucy to hear them fight, so she ended it. Lucy ended up winning because she had the best poker face. They weren't able to tell if she was bluffing or not, so they inevitably lost.

Natsu begrudgingly packed up the poker set while Gray got up to use the the bathroom. Natsu looked at the clock on the wall and noticed it was 1:34pm. Damn, just how long did they take?

Gray returned and announced he was leaving. "Yo, pyro, I'm out. Call me tonight, I gotta talk to you about somethin'"

"What? What's so important that suddenly _I'm_ involved?"

"You idiot, I said tonight I'll tell you." He then turned around and yelled to Lucy, "thanks, Lucy! I'll see you guys later, I gotta go!"

Lucy responded just as loud, "sure, lock the door on your way out, Bye, Gray!"

Gray then left, and now it was just Natsu and Lucy. Lucy thought this was the perfect time to get Natsu to talk, so she came up with an idea and quickly acted upon it.

"Hey, Natsu, I'm going upstairs. Are you staying or going home?"

"I'll stay, want me to come up with you?"

"Sure, I'm going to rest anyways."

Lucy walked upstairs and Natsu followed. She let Natsu walk into her room and she followed him inside, and she closed the door. She then smirked to herself, '_So all I have to do is get him to talk, but how?'_

"Hey, Natsu, can we talk?" '_So smooth Lucy. Reealll smooth.'_

"Yeah, sure, what's up?"

Lucy took a breath. She wanted to him to be honest, so why doesn't she start too? She'll honestly tell him some things, so he would have to tell her too. '_PerfectI I'm such a genius!'_

She sat on her bed and ushered Natsu to sit opposite to her so they could talk. He obliged, and Lucy stared.

"Natsu, I want to be honest with you since we're dating and I trust you, okay?"

Natsu nodded, seeming more interested with the way this conversation was heading.

"Natsu, what's my name?"

"Uh, Lucy?"

"No, my full name."

"Lucy Ashley."

Lucy sighed. She knew he was always skeptical about her last name, but decided to trust her on it. She knew he would be a little upset, but it was better than him not ever knowing.

"Natsu, lemme reintroduce myself. My name is Lucy Heartfilia, and I'm the daughter of one of the richest men in the world, Jude Heartfilia. He owns the railroads all across Fiore. He's very well known , so I'm sure you've heard of him."

Natsu just looked at her. He knew she was hiding something about herself, but he never expected _this_.

'_Jude Heartfilia? _**_The _**_Jude Heartfilia? Isn't he dude whose wife was… oh my goodness…'_

He remembered seeing it on the news when he was younger, about a murder that was committed during broad daylight, and how the daughter was there to witness it all. He was only nine, and he wrote it off since he wasn't involved. He thought these sort of things happened to people who were famous.

"Yeah, I've heard of him. Lucy, why did you wait to tell me now? All this time, you've kept this to yourself. Even your mother…"

Lucy sucked in her breath, '_he knows what happened to my mom? How…?'_

"Do you know what happened to my mom, Natsu? What happened…?"

Natsu knew she was going to eventually break, he knew she was holding back tears, but she held on, and asked him anyways. He grabbed her hands and held them tightly, as if she was going to leave.

"Lucy, yes, it was all over the news when the case information was released. Do you not remember? You had even witnessed it all…"

Lucy sat there, dumbfounded. "No…? I don't—"

Suddenly, memories starting rushing her brain, and she held her head in pain.

*_'Come on, Lucy, let's go here."_

_Layla had taken her daughter out to the mall that just opened, but they weren't exactly familiar with the layout, so they got lost. Lucy was used to bringing some sort of weapon with her since her mother instructed that she alway she always have something to protect herself with, even though Layla had enrolled Lucy in self-defense classes and almost all the fighting classes Lucy could handle. Lucy could defend herself, but since she was with her mom, she brought no weapon. She felt safe with her mother._

_"Lucy dear, hold mommy's hand very tight, okay? Don't let go. I'm afraid we got a little lost."_

_Lucy looked at her surroundings and noticed it being a bit more shabby than she was used to. Where were the guards assigned to her and her mother? She walked with her mom until they reached the end of an alley._

_"Oh, shucks, it seems it is a dead end. Let's go ask around, how about it?"_

_Lucy and her mother walked around and asked some people about the mall, but most just shrugged or told her to go away. Suddenly, a group of three men about the age of forty came to ask Layla if she needed help._

_"Need help, pretty lady? I know what you'se talkin' about. Follow me."_

_Layla smiled and followed. Living her life bottled up with protection and with her family, Layla was a bit naive. Jude had only allowed Layla to go with Lucy if they hd their guards around them 24/7, but it seems they weren't there._

_"Um, gentlemen, this doesn't seem right. It's the same alley as we were in before, it's a dead end—"_

_Layla suddenly realized what the mens intention's were, and she told Lucy to be quiet and run. Lucy walked away, but one of the men grabbed her._

_"So, we've got a pretty lady and a pretty kid. This is one hell of a catch, ain't it boys?"_

_"Hell yeah, can't wait to _rip_ her pretty lil' dress and her—"_

_He was cut off with a yelp when Lucy elbowed him in the gut. Lucy knew how to fight, that's all she was taught growing up besides her academics. She was the best in her class, and was even a double black belt in various fighting techniques. _

_"You little bitch, I'll kill ya!"_

_The man ran towards her and grabbed her leg, effectively making her crash on the ground. She countered by bringing her torso up and punching him. The man stumbled back and gave her an even dirtier look while running toward her with his fist out. She easily dodged by tilting her head to the side, and when he got fed up, he ran away from her, and when he saw where he ran to, her heart dropped._

_Her mother._

_"Lucy, my darling, my baby, please, run, get away from here. You have so much potential, and I'm proud of you. Now, listen to mommy honey and run."_

_"No! Never, mom, please, I can beat them!"_

_Lucy was grabbed from behind, and fearing for her mother, she did nothing to defend herself._

_"Now, you're going to watch us torture and kill your mom, and there ain't nothing you can do about it lil' lady."_

_Lucys eye's bulged while thrashing and kicking, anything to save her mom. She then saw one man rip her mom's dress and punch her in the gut. She coughed blood and gave him a smile. He then slapped her across the face and grabbed it afterwards, smirking and head butting her. She was out cold. He proceeded to kick and punch her. When she was bloody and bruised, he took out a knife he had been hiding and stabbed her side. _

_Lucy knew the look she had. She had seen it before, and she saw it again. She thought she was never going to see that look ever again, but here she was, seeing it on the person she cared the most about. Her mother had been bleeding for too long, and now there was no return. _

_She was gone._

_Lucy couldn't scream. She couldn't cry, she couldn't do anything but freeze. When the guy gave her a last kick, he approached Lucy, and kicked her as well. Lucy let him beat her. She couldn't see anything else to do, her life felt so empty, as if there was a huge whole in her heart. She felt like dying, and this man was going to give her her wish._

_"You done, brat? Your mommy's dead, and now you gonna be joinin' her soon, ya hear?"_

_Lucy heard some more shouting and in the midst of it, she was blacking out. She had suffered too many head injuries, and before she actually passed out, she heard some sirens in the distance. _

_Finally, she would be saved. 'Mom and I can go and be saved now. Maybe, somehow maybe they would find a way, a cure to revive her._

_Lucy smiled, and passed out. _

_"Guys, here! Oh my god… check the victims! Grab the men! Daniel, come here! We've got a pulse on this one."_

_oOo_

_"Guys, she's awake!"_

_Lucy woke up, and strangely stared at the men looking down at her._

_"Who— what am I doing here? Who is that laying on the floor?"_

_Everyone stared at her, and she just stared back, confused._

_What happened?*_

Lucy eye's widened. '_My mom… I was… oh my god… oh MY GOD!'_

Lucy started sobbing, full on yelling, screaming, and she collapsed to the floor, holding her head. She kept yelling with every cry, and she kept on saying, "It's all my fault, it's all my fault…"

Lucy hadn't cried like this in _years. _She had last cried like this when she was a child, _before_ her mother died. The memories, the guilt, it became too much for her.

"Lucy? Oh my god, Lucy!" Natsu yelled before rushing to her side.

He had never seen her cry like this, so seeing her like this made his heart wrench and hurt in ways he didn't even know were possible. He had seen Lucy cry before, but it never was an actual cry. It was always just silent tears running down her face, telling a story without sound.

"Natsu—_his— _It's all my—_hic—_ fault. She died— _his— I could have done something. I know I'm strong enough._"

'_Am I really though?'_

"Lucy, nothing it your fault. She didn't die because you let her. You didn't do anything, you're fine. You didn't do anything…"

'_I could have saved her…'_

"Natsu, I—_hic—_ could have saved her! I should have, I know I could have, _I— hic— thought I could…"_

'_You didn't though. You just let her die. You watched your mother die, Lucy. You knew you could fight back, probably save the both of you. Your father wouldn't blame you if he didn't acknowledge this. Admit it. You're _**_pathetic_**_.'_

_"_NO! NO I'M NOT! I'm not pathetic, I… I tried… I…"

Natsu felt so guilty, he felt like he couldn't breathe. Lucy was literally breaking in front of him and all he could do was hug her and try to comfort her. He brought this up, and now he needed to be there for her.

Natsu picked Lucy up and laid her in her bed. He tucked her in and got in after. He hugged her to his chest, letting her cry her heart out so when she woke up, she would be able to talk. Right now, she needed a shoulder to cry on and Natsu was more than willing to give it to her.

"Shhh, Luce, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

**A/N: Bonus chapter! I'm just going to update whenever the chapter is ready so I don't make you guys wait too long.**

** Holy shit, I think I make every chapter too dramatic. I revealed most of Lucy's past at this point. Yup. Some clarifying things, yes, Lucy had forgotten what exactly happened during her mother's death since the shock made her forget, and she is very stubborn to the point she refuses to cry over ****_anything_****. I wanted to make her a strong character because I felt like it made sense. Natsu cares about Lucy a lot, and he his in the dark about a lot of things. Lucy is too, but Natsu didn't even know her last name, soo… yeah.**

**I think the pace is kinda fast, and I think I'm going to slow it down a bit next chapter. Also, we'll get back to her staying with Natsu, don't worry, it'll appear next chapter.**

**Just a heads up, I don't actually have anything planned. I make up the story as I go, so if it makes no sense, then I'm really sorry. I probably should have some plan, but I don't. Lately I have been sort of planning some chapters, such as this one. I wanted to introduce some more characters, such as Gray, Lisanna, and Erza. I will introduce Mira, Juvia, Laxus, Cana, Wendy, Gajeel (we have heard of him before, hint hint), and Jellal! I will introduce the majority of them next chapter, so stay tuned.**

**See ya guys later, my lovelies, Spadey out~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, my lovelies! Here is yet another chapter of T.R.R.I.T. Lemme know what you guys think of the pace in the reviews, I have been told the story is going by too quickly, maybe it's just me. **

**This chapter is a little more like a filler and it has less character history (for the main characters). I will introduce new characters and give some background on them, but none for Natsu or Lucy this chapter. You'll get info on them that I have previously given, but nothing new!**

**Also, I owe you guys some more FLUFF. Who doesn't love fluff? *This chapter is a little language heavy and… _ahem_… _sexual._ Not full on sex, I don't write lemons, but suggestive themes and talking about the topic.**

**One more thing, there is a slight smutty scene here, but it doesn't go all the way! I describe_ things_ though, so if you don't like that kinda stuff, just skip it!***

**So, on with the story!**

**oOo**

"Natsu, get the _fuck_ off me. I'm going to be late because of _you_ and if that happens you'll find yourself _single_."

"Luuccceee, don't do that, you know how comfy you are, especially with your huge—"

"_Finish_ that sentence and you'll find my fist connecting with your face."

Lucy was currently struggling to remove Natsu from on top of her while Natsu was arguing with her. He wanted to cuddle while she had to go _teach_ in half an hour.

"Natsu, I need to teach today. Come on, you don't have class but _I _do. I need to go."

"But Luce, I'll be bored all day, what am I supposed to do without you?"

Lucy sighed. Natsu had no class that day since the only class he _did_ have got canceled since the teacher got salt in their eyes. Even though Natsu thought it was odd, he still had woken Lucy up with a scream that indicated his happiness, only to be ruined when Lucy kicked him for scaring her.

"Find something to do, I'll be gone only for five hours. Go hang out with Gray, he has no class either, right?"

"Yeah, but no one wants to hang out with that icey bastard. Luce, come on. Skip _one_ day."

"Natsu, I am going and that is _final_."

Not waiting for his response, she quickly pushed him off with all the strength she could muster at the morning and ran to the restroom to lock the door behind her. Natsu just blinked. '_Did she just… push me? How in the world…?'_

Groaning, he got up and found his clothes. He quickly chose a black t-shirt with dark blue joggers. He took the clothes out of the drawer and quickly slipped them on. He found his black running shoes and put those on as well. Knowing how long Lucy usually took, he went to the kitchen and contemplated whether he could attempt making breakfast. '_Am I going to kill us all or am I just going to burn it?'_

Not being able to choose, he opted to just wait for Lucy. He walked back to her bedroom and looked for his school bag. As he was finding it, he found a journal titled, _Adventures?_.

'_What an odd name…'_

Piquing his interest, he opened it and found Lucy's very recognizable handwriting. It was dated and the entry was written in the first person, meaning it was her own words. '_What for?'_ He started reading some of the content and realized this must have been her diary. '_I am most likely dying today, but might as well make it worth it.'_

Reading some of the entries, he read the entry made on Sunday and it was written talking about what had happened on Saturday.

"_Date: X/XX/XXXX, Sunday, 4:00am"_

_'She wrote this at 4? I swear she was sleeping.'_

"_Well, I finally got to tell Natsu some things I had been meaning to say. It took me a while, but knowing him, I know I can definitely confide in him. Trust him. Love him? I've come to realize I had loved him so much more than I had let on or even realized myself. I was never planning on confessing since I wasn't even aware of my own true feelings, but I feel as if a heavy burden has been lifted off my chest. Anyways, now we're dating and it still makes my stomach do flips. _

_ Can I tell him about my amnesia? How I don't remember some of my past? My mother? Will I be strong enough to say it? I don't know… what about telling him about me being a Heartfilia? That is probably the scariest secret I have kept since I'm _**_lying_ **_about my identity. _

_ I should probably get around to telling Levy all the details too, and Erza. I have been neglecting them as friends. How am I going to be able to break the news to them about my identity?_

_ I feel as if I am kinda forgetting Makarov's request… I know I want to, but how do I tell Natsu? He'll be more than ecstatic, but I want to make sure I'm making the right decision, so I'll ask Erza. Levy already said go for it, so should I? Argh, it's just so difficult. Who would have thought to tell your boyfriend something would be so difficult? ~Lucy"_

Curiosity bubbled up inside Natsu. What request? By gramps? Is she hiding something that involves me? What in the world? And she had _amnesia_? Since when—

All is confusion was cut off when he heard Lucy call for him. He turned around to see a naked Lucy only covered by a towel.

"Natsu, I called you a billion times, and—_wait._ Is that my _journal?_"

He gulped but was thoroughly distracted by her in only a towel. "Um, yes?"

"Natsu Dragneel, you're really _asking_ to die, aren't you? Give it back! Did you read it?"

Lucy was now jumping to get her journal and Natsu, being the giraffe he was, easily made it so it was out of reach for her.

"Luce, chill, I only read your entry from Sunday at 4 in the morning. Also, when did you get up that day? I swear you were still sleeping."

Lucy stilled. '_He read my Sunday entry? That means...'_

"Why the _fuck _would you read that? I told you plenty of times _not_ to touch my things! Yet here you are, _reading_ my journal! Now you know! Great! If that's the case, might as well aid me in my decision?"

'_What do I know? Did I read something I wasn't supposed to…'_

_'The amnesia thing probably wasn't something I was supposed to read about, but right now, it's best if I don't mention it. I'll interrogate her later. What else was there—'_

It suddenly hit him, and he smirked. He knew he had no idea what she was actually talking about, but maybe saying he did would make Lucy say it anyways.

"Okay, so lay it on me, what're you're thoughts on it?"

"Well, I asked Levy, but I'm not sure. I know I love you, so of course, I wouldn't mind, and you practically already live here, so I don't think I'd mind too much. It's just my father would get wind of it, you know?"

Now Natsu was really lost. What does she mean when she says her father would find out? Why did she mention she loves him?

"Uh, so how did this all happen exactly? Care to explain how this started?"

Confused, Lucy gave him a look. Didn't the journal all explain this? Unless…

"Natsu, did you really read the whole entry, or did you only read part of it?"

"No, I read all of it. What made you ask?"

"Natsu, do you know what Makarov's request was?"

"No really, I was just seeing if you'd tell me."

"Figured."

Lucy just sighed. She told Natsu to wait for her as she changed into some clothes and returned to talk to him about it. It was better to just tell him, she thought.

"Natsu, Makarov asked me something that I wasn't exactly sure how to respond to at the time. You promise you won't be a loser about it?"

"What the fuck does that _even_ mean—"

"Natsu. Promise?"

"Fine, sure, I'm all ears."

Lucy took a deep breath in. '_I got this.'_

"Natsu, Makarov asked me to live with you until you graduate your freshman year."

Some gears in Natsu head that worked slowly anyways came to a complete stop. '_What in the world…? Did that old man really ask Lucy to…?'_

"He _asked_ you? Like, called you over to _ask_ you to live with a _random guy?_"

Lucy could see his features contort into an angry expression and got pissed. Why was it that he never listened all the way through? '_It's official. I am dating a raging bull.'_

"Natsu, he didn't ask me _randomly_. He asked because he knew we were comfortable with each other, asshole. Why would Makarov ask me to live with a random guy? Also, you aren't a _random guy._ You are Natsu, my best friend that happens to be my boyfriend."

Natsu felt his anger dissipate a little but remained pissed.

"And he didn't consult this with _me_? Who does that old man think he is? It isn't like I'm young enough for him to make decisions for me."

"Natsu, he _raised_ you. Don't tell me you think he has no right over you."

"But why didn't he ask me for my opinion? I'm also a person, for fuck's sake! What if _I_ wasn't okay with it?"

Lucy felt a pang of hurt from his words. '_Why is Natsu acting so… pissed? Does he not want to live with me?'_

Feeling a bit hurt, she felt her heart drop, as if someone had knocked the wind out of her. Feeling like she had to ask, he slowly said, "Natsu, do you have a problem with the idea of living with me?"

Natsu wasn't expecting to hear that, so he looked at her and noticed her wearing a pained expression, not too obvious, but something only someone who knew her would be able to identify.

"Lucy, no, I didn't mean it like that. I actually don't mind at all, I would love living with you, it's just I don't like it when Makarov excludes me from whatever decisions he makes, especially ones that I'm a part of."

Not too convinced, she just nodded. She was turning to walk away, but Natsu grabbed her arm.

"Luce, you know I love you, right? I would absolutely love to live with you, forever even. It's just Makarov has this issue where he never asks me anything before making the decision, you know? I was going to tell you that you are _always_ welcome to live with me, and I will _never_ be opposed it. I'm sorry for making you feel like I was opposed to it."

Feeling the weight of the words he just spoke, she smiled.

Then, it dawned on her. '_Did he just say forever?'_

She started blushing like crazy, only making Natsu worry more. "What?"

"Did… did you just say _forever?_"

Remembering his words, he started blushing too while wearing a sheepish grin. "I-I meant that as like a fact, you know? I wanted to make you feel happy, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like— no, it's not like I'd mind, if you want to, I'm ok with it—"

Lucy shut him up with a kiss and brought her hands up to his neck. Natsu was shocked at first but immediately recovered, returning the kiss while wrapping one arm around her waist and one behind her head. He tilted his head so he could have more access, and Lucy obliged. She felt Natsu's hands start wandering a bit, but she paid no attention to it.

Natsu's hand landed on her ass, and Lucy yelped but nonetheless allowed it. He started to push her more towards him, if it was possible and started moving his hands upward, tracing her curves. She could feel her towel becoming looser from the front.

Lucy started to feel the pleasure from his touch, and just before he reached her breasts, she noticed it was getting late. She took Natsu's hands and reluctantly removed them while giving him one last peck. She brought her hands up to her towel and panicked.

"Natsu, I'm getting late! I can't believe I didn't notice before! I gotta go, be good, don't do anything dumb, and I love you!"

She gave him a peck on the cheek and ran to get dressed and collect her things. She then shouted one last I love you and ran out to her car.

Sighing, Natsu knew he was head over heels in love with her. She would always tease him like that; letting him touch her intimately while kissing her roughly and then suddenly stop him before it could go further. She was such a damn _tease_, but he understood why. She needed time to get used to the whole idea of _sex_.

Well, sex itself is just a word, but the idea of procreating together, being intimate with another, and potentially being with the other person forever is what freaks most people out. The idea of being so helpless to the other person, so close, so _vulnerable_. Natsu wasn't as dense as others made him be. He knew what sex was, he knew what flirting was, but he just didn't know how to identify it. He had been never been intimate with others; he just never found any girl to be _sexually_ attractive. Sure, he was told he was extremely handsome and girls flirted with him because of it, but Natsu would never go and flirt back. He would say something to make them look at him dumbfounded and he would just leave. Because it would hurt his pride, he never has told anyone that he has never lost his _male_ virginity. His firsts, they all were with Lucy, and it turns out hers too.

Deciding it was time to get up, he got dressed to leave the home and called up Gray.

"_What is it, flame breath?"_

"Sheesh, bitchy much? I was going to ask if you wanted to go to the bar, but it seems you—"

"_Woah, hold up, I never said no. Sure, I'll be there in five."_

"Sure, sure, get ready, and make sure you wear enough clothes, you stripper."

"Hey! You piece of—"

Natsu ended the call and made his way to the bar. He knew he wasn't old enough to drink, but it wasn't for drinks he was going.

He was going for the people and food.

Natsu quickly became friends with the staff there and loved the food a certain Miss Mirajane Strauss made, and oddly, she was Lisanna's older sister. Lisanna's brother worked part-time, so she was in and out. He thought of Mira as an elder sister, which made Lisanna be his younger sister. Mira was so nice, and her voice was just so soft and lovely.

But, man, Mira could be _scary_.

Mira sometimes rivaled Erza, which was saying _a lot_, since Erza was on her own league. They both used to go to the same college, and they quickly became infamous for their rivalry and fights.

Natsu just doesn't get how people could become so, so _demonic_.

"Yo, wildfire, I'm here! What're you spacin' out for?"

"_Wildfire?_ Did you knock your head on something here, stripper? What the fuck does that _even_ mean?"

"Shut up, let's go. Mira is probably expecting us."

"Figures, also, isn't that Juvia chick working today?"

Gray shuddered but also blushed. Juvia has been _obsessed _with Gray, and she always clings onto his arm whenever she sees him.

Deep down, Gray liked her.

(We all know it.)

"Pyro, don't make me punch you."

"Oh, you think you can punch me? I'll just beat your ass."

"Try me, asshole."

"What the— you jackass!"

Gray threw a punch, and Natsu quickly dodged it. He threw his own playful, but hard punch and it was about to reach Gray until they felt a very cold, demonic presence.

"It seems to me that Gray and Natsu are _fighting_. We can't have that now _can_ we?"

Natsu swore he saw her eyes flicker red, but maybe it was because of her aura. She gave off the, '_I will murder you'_ vibe, and he did _not _want to be on the receiving end.

"N-no! W-we're friend's, right Gray?"

"Y-yeah! Totally!"

Suddenly, her demeanor changed _completely. _"Good! Come on in! I got your favorites ready! Oh, and Gray, a certain Miss Locksar is waiting for you~"

Gray just groaned, and Natsu followed Mira inside. They sat at the usual spot where Mira worked, and Natsu saw Juvia was setting the plates down.

"Gray-sama! Juvia missed you!" The girl ran to him and clung to his arm.

"Juvia, the fuc—"

"Gray, hush, will you? I'm in a good mood, don't ruin it."

Gray shivered, and reluctantly let Juvia stay.

"This looks great, Mira, thanks!"

"Eat up, there's more from where it came from. Today, it's on the house!"

Natsu eyed her weirdly, knowing there was something up. Mira _always_ made Natsu pay because he ate so much.

"How come?"

"Well, today is a special occasion. Today, Fairly Tail College and my bar made a contract! We are now one entity! Meaning, our bar is now being paid more so we can operate for Fairy Tail students! I can finally renovate and redesign!"

Natsu just smiled, knowing how passionate Mira was about her bar. She loved to cook, and she always wanted to be there for her loved ones. Creating a bar was like her way of making a central hangout, and she offered VIP membership to a select few whom she liked. Natsu, Gray, Juvia, Elfman, Lisanna, Cana, Levy, and Gajeel were members. It basically meant that the bar was their home base, or where they met whenever they wanted to hang out.

Just speaking of Cana made him groan. He just hopes that maybe, just maybe she decided to not show up toda—

"Boys! Did you forget to greet me? What a shame, it truly is. Here I thought maybe you two would have the balls to come and say hi to a lovely young lady like me but I was mistaken."

Speak of the devil, there she is.

"Cana quit flattering yourself. We all know damn well that we didn't see you and your drunk ass."

"Woo, Natsu, you seem pissed. What's got your panties in a bunch?"

Just sighing at her antics, he decided to share his demise. He had already been pissed since he entered, but he loved the place too much to be upset. Cana made his mood worse though, she always made fun of his manliness, which always was a blow to his pride.

"Mira, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Natsu, anytime, what's wrong?"

"Well, you see, Gramps asked Lucy—"

"Oh my goodness! I completely forgot to ask— how is Lucy?"

"Mira, she's fine. She's at work, but could I finish?"

"Ah, yes, yes, continue."

That's when Gray and Cana started listening in. Natsu never told them anything about himself beside the fact he was an orphaned kid at 8, but they still don't know how. They know basics, like his birthday, his age, his college, and career, what he likes, dislikes, and his hobbies, but nothing about his past or plans of the future.

Not even his love life.

They had never once heard Natsu mention liking someone, and whenever they pointed out a cute girl or someone to go flirt with, he always responded with an, 'ew, what?' or 'she looks normal to me.' He just never noticed girls or was attracted to any.

"So, Makarov asked Lucy to come and live with me until I graduate, which is cool and all, but—"

"WHAT? Did he ask Lucy to _live_ with you? Just _what_ is that man thinking?"

"I know! I can't believe he would ask Lucy to do something like that! I know I don't mind living with her, not at all, if anything, who in their right mind would mind living with their girlfriend? It's just that he asked her before we started dating! What if he asked her to live with a different dude! Then?"

Everyone, except Gray, had their eyes stare into nothing as they processed Natsu's words. "_If anything, who in their right mind would mind living with their…. Girlfriend…"_

"No. Fucking. Way." Cana said with disbelief written all across her features.

"WHAT?!" Mira half squealed and yelled.

"Lucy is no longer Juvia's love rival!"

They all just stared at the man, wondering if he clueless idiot really got a girlfriend.

"What? Did I say something?"

"Yes, you clueless idiot! You said you have a girlfriend? Do you understand how _difficult_ it is for me to believe that? Especially when you, the person who never notices _any_ girls, say you have a girlfriend outta nowhere!"

"Cana, I don't get it. Lucy is my girlfriend. How's that difficult to believe?"

"Natsu, honey, I think what Cana means is that you have no romantic bone in your body _whatsoever, _so to hear you have a girlfriend is extremely surprising, and also so _fucking adorable! _I can just imagine the cute little Natsu and Lucy babies!"

Natsu sweatdropped, and just chuckled, "Mira, too early."

"Sorry, it's just I never thought you would get a girlfriend! And Lucy is just _perfect_ for you! If you make her cry, I'll rip your head off~!"

Natsu knew she was the devil sometimes, but singing a threat was a whole new level.

"Jeez, okay. Thanks, I guess. Anyways, back to my point, I figured it out with Lucy and all, but should we live together? Cuz if we do, then I don't know if I'll want to move out…"

Mira just stared at the boy who previously never showed any signs of love towards anyone romantically. He was thinking about moving in with her now?

"Natsu, do whatever your heart says. If Lucy is okay with it, then stay living with her. If she isn't, then move out when needed. She needs her time alone too, you know. Also, Lucy loves you a lot, she wouldn't make you move out. I trust you'll make a good decision."

Natsu knew talking to Lucy was probably a good idea, but he was afraid of rejection. What if she said no? What if she thought they were going to quickly? Moving in together permanently?

"Thanks, Mira. I'll talk to Lucy."

"Of course, Natsu."

oOo

"Miss Ashley, could we possibly take a break? I'm dying~. I'll go get you some ice and put in on your—"

"No, that's enough, Mr. Loke. Please, _sit down_ and finish your work."

Lucy was just so damn tired of trying to get rid of the flirting male. He had been flirting with her ever since he found out her age, and that was almost 8 months ago. When she had introduced herself, Loke immediately asked her for her age, and when she told him she swore she saw hearts forming in his eyes.

'_Loke's a player, it's so obvious. That womanizing douche better stop before he hits on the wrong girl.'_

"Miss Ashley— no, may I call you Lucy?"

"_No_, and go work, seriously Loke, this assignment is timed so if you don't finish you'll get an F."

"That's fine when I've got an A+ right here~"

"Loke, that didn't even make any sens—"

"I've got the F, C, and K, all I need is U."

"Loke, that was _so_ _inappropriate_, I'm going to beat you—"

"Even if there was no gravity on Earth, I'd still fall for you~."

"_Loke Lione quit it. _If you don't finish your assignment in the next _5 minutes_, I'm _failing_ you for this assignment. Got it, asshole?"

"You know you like it, Lu. Alright, I'll go finish, bye my sweet love."

Loke had left with his assignment, taking as much time as he wanted, not like he only had 5 minutes to finish.

"Oh my goodness, he is _such_ a pain."

Lucy was sure that the boy prepared the pickup lines beforehand or memorized them from before. He had _so_ many and Lucy had heard at _least _150 of them.

She wasn't even sure if there were that many.

She glanced at the clock and noticed it was almost 2:00 pm. She felt bad; she promised to be home no later than 1:00 pm but she needed to substitute for 2 classes that were 3 hours each. Both teachers asked Lucy to substitute since they had to go soon, and Lucy, being the nice person she is, simply said, "okay, when?"

They were both back-to-back classes, one beginning at 3:00 pm and the other at 6:00 pm. She didn't know which class began at 6 but decided not to question it.

"Alright, everyone! Turn in your sheets and sit back down! I have to give homework so you all can leave!"

They all did as told, and when they returned, Lucy felt an odd feeling down in her stomach.

'_What the… why does my stomach hurt? Did I eat something wrong?'_

Deciding to ignore it, Lucy continued to explain the homework. Once she assigned it, they all left, and Lucy was left sitting there doing some work while waiting for the other kids to show up.

As time went by, Lucy felt the pain intensify, and she felt some liquid dripping down her leg. Curious and slightly worried, she checked with her hand and felt that it was _blood._

'_No fucking way. I _**_can't_**_ be on my period! I just ended…'_

She thought back, and she remembered having her period last month. She couldn't believe it, how in the world did she forget her date?

'_Fuck, I need to get changed. This black skirt may save me, but I need products that I did not bring… Erza'll have some…'_

Lucy made her way down to Erza's and while doing so, her stomach ached terribly. The cramps were kicking in and she could fell her stomach hurt a little more every time she took a step.

Opening the door to the nurse's office, Lucy saw Erza was talking to a man. Lucy called out to Erza and Erza looked over to smile at her.

"Ahh, Lucy! What brings you here?"

"Um, period cramps? Got any pads?"

"Yup, sure, here, take this and I'll get some pain meds ready."

Lucy did as told, and noticed the small blush coating her friends' cheek. '_Is Erza… blushing? She never acts that way… unless…'_

Lucy noticed the man had blue hair and a red tattoo underneath his right eye. He was extremely handsome and had very nicely built muscles that showed on his arms.

'_Damn, he's so… hot?'_

Lucy felt the blush creep up on her as she thought that, and felt a pang of guilt knowing she was in a relationship.

Lucy went to the restroom to take care of herself, and when she returned, the blue-haired man was gone, and Erza was waiting for Lucy with the meds.

"Erza, who was that?"

Erza blushed again, and slowly mumbled, "That was Jellal…"

"Hmm. What was he here for?"

"He's in charge of my annual background check. Nurses in every public or private institution need background checks, along with every other faculty and staff member, so Jellal is one of the many people that are assigned to check on us. This year, I got Jellal, and he was just checking with me what time would work for him to interview me."

Lucy just smiled, knowing her friend found someone she liked. She took her meds and further questioned the red-head.

"Uh huh. So, you have the hots for him, huh?"

Erza spit out her water at her friend's bluntness, and sputtered, "N-no! He w-was just t-trying to—"

"I'm kidding, Erza. He seems really nice. Why don't you go talk to him some more?"

"I will, but what about you and Natsu, huh? Don't think I don't know about that."

Now Lucy was the one who was blushing, and Erza crossed her arms in victory.

"E-erza, so what? He's my boyfriend, is that hard to believe?"

"For him, yes. He never _looks_ at any girl. You are the only girl to get through to him. Be proud of it."

Lucy just smiled while fighting back her blush. Natsu had no past relationships?

"Natsu hasn't dated before?"

"Nope never had noticed _any_ girls. They all used to flirt with him, but Natsu, being the idiot he is, always looked at them weirdly. Always pissed off the girl and she never came back."

Lucy was genuinely surprised. '_How in the world did someone as hot as Natsu never date before?'_

"Wow. I am genuinely surprised. That's so odd."

"Not really, I figured you were going to end up with him the second he saw you. He never felt so… _interested_ in someone before, so captivated. He hung out with you every day after that which makes me think he liked you."

Lucy just blushed and felt dumb for not seeing it. When Lisanna tried flirting with him, he looked disgusted, not at all "turned on" by the fact there was a girl pushing her breasts on his thigh.

"Damn, okay. I can't believe I never noticed…"

"It's Natsu, don't worry. That boy is super loyal and caring for his loved ones. Don't think just because you have turned on his romantic side means he'll leave you. You know him better than that."

Lucy almost felt ashamed for thinking like that, but she couldn't help it, she was insecure about some things, especially those she has never done before.

"Sorry, I just can't help but feel a little insecure. I've never dated before, at least, willingly."

"Lucy, you know Sting was never a 'boyfriend.' He made you come when you were _fucking 9_ and ended up making fun of you and hurting you. That's _not_ a boyfriend, that's abuse."

"No, Erza, I have been engaged before, believe it or not."

"…and I'm finding out now?"

"Sorry. It kinda was disregarded anyways. Since I have half an hour to spare, lemme enlighten you."

"Enlighten me, oh wise one."

"Here's how it started…"

*_"Lucy, you are now officially engaged to Dan Straight of the Straight Corp. They have some promising deal to make with me as a business partner in exchange for your hand in marriage to their son, Dan. I have already agreed. Your marriage is in one week. Figure out what you'd like to wear, your maids have been informed."_

_Lucy just stared at the man in front of her. She was only 16! How in the world did that jackass get her engaged?_

_"Do they know I'm 16?"_

_"Yes, Dan is 24. Make sure to produce one male heir for the Heartfilia Konzern. I except my grandchild to be born in one year. Don't disappoint me. They are coming to meet you today, so go get ready."_

_Lucy just stood there, shocked by the information she just heard. Married at 16, and mother at 17? Hell no._

_"Father, I can't possibly get married now! I'm finishing college!"_

_"Lucy, I don't want to hear it. You'll be done with college in a years time, so then, you'll give birth. The Straight family is very interested in you since you are 16 and almost done with college. They'd like to know how you made it so far, and maybe even propose a promising career with them._

_Lucy knew her gift of knowledge was a miracle. Hell, maybe even a sign that she was to succeed. She knew that, but it was also a curse. She had been manipulated many times before. Many 'business partners' her father had usually asked Jude to let them borrow Lucy for some 'plans.'_

_All they did was use her intellect to devise evil plans, those that thinking about made her shudder. She was able to calculate the probability of it working, the chances of it failing, and everything they needed to do to end successfully. Her intelligence was scary, and everyone used her for it._

_"Father, I do not wish to be wed right now. I am too young, and I haven't met him."_

_Jude gave her daughter a glare, and softly, but angrily, spoke, "Lucy, you will _**_not_**_ disobey me. You will wed him, and you will produce an heir. You are meeting him today and that is sufficient. Get ready. They'll be here within an hours time."_

_Lucy huffed, but not when her father was around. He would beat her for the attitude. She went upstairs and thought of ways to cancel the marriage. _

_As she was thinking, she looked around her room, and her eyes landed on something._

_Perfect._

_After getting ready, Lucy put her plan in action. _

_Treading downstairs, Lucy found her father speaking to a man while the woman spoke to her son. The son, she assumed, was Dan, and man, he looked _**_old_**_._

_Lucy walked over and greeted the family. The woman went up to Lucy and gave her a full look over until she smiled and hugged Lucy._

_"Goodness, are you really 16? You are very beautiful, indeed. Come, meet Dan, Lucy."_

_Lucy looked over to Dan, and all he was doing was looking over Lucy's body, and she recognized the look in his eyes._

_Lust._

_Lucy couldn't believe it. He was 24, and she, she was merely 16. How could someone as old as him have no shame?_

_"Ah, a pleasure to meet you, Dan. I'm Lucy Heartfilia, single heir of the Heartfilia Konzern."_

_"Ah, yes, I know who you are. Pleasure is _**_all_**_ mine, Lucy. I'm Dan."_

_Lucy just shuddered in disgust. He was seriously planning on seducing her or something. Because if that's the case, no thank you._

_"Lucy, Dan, why don't you speak to each other? Go out on a walk in the garden. Come back in an hour, dinner will be ready then."_

_Lucy simply nodded and signaled Dan to follow her. He did as told, but was way too close for Lucy's comfort._

_"D-dan, could you back up a bit? I'm trying to walk, and a respectable distance is desired."_

_"Ah, yes, sorry."_

_Lucy and Dan walked to the garden, and when they got to the garden maze, Dan pushed Lucy against the wall._

_"You know, when I was told I was getting engaged, I didn't think you'd be so hot since you're 16, but _**_damn_**_. I'll take you anyway and anywhere."_

_"Excuse me, but get off of me. I am _**_not_**_ here for you to molest me." Lucy shoved him off and gave him a glare as she continued to walk._

_"Ah, and feisty? I got myself a package. Listen, I don't know about you, but I'm feeling extremely… _**_excited_**_. How bout it? Is there any outhouse here?"_

_Lucy couldn't believe he was saying such things but had an idea. She decided to play along._

_"Oh~? So you wanna go to an outhouse? Follow me, big boy."_

_Dan just looked so excited to catch on to Lucy's tone that was laced with disgust and hate. He kept trying to grab her somewhere or get some kisses in, but Lucy kept telling him to wait._

_"Here, Dan. Now, what is that you wanted?"_

_"It's right in front of me, baby." Dan walked closer and closer to Lucy with a smirk._

_Lucy smirked back, but not for the same reason. She grabbed her dress and yanked it while pricking her finger to drop some blood drops on the ripped portion. She also grabbed her throat and scratched the skin to turn it red and have some slight bleeding. _

_Dan watched her and thought the bitch liked it rough. Just perfect for her, he'd deliver._

_To finish it off, she grabbed Dan and made him kiss her. She had never kissed before, but she needed him to kiss her roughly so she would start crying._

_Dan, albeit surprised, allowed the action, and roughly kissed her back. He bit her lips roughly and made her bottom lip bleed. Her lips were both swollen at this point, and that's when she pushed him back and he saw the tears in her eyes._

_"Lucy…? What in the world…?"_

_He looked at her closely, and he realized she looked like she was raped, or almost raped. 'Funny, I don't remember seeing her looking like that…'_

_That's when it hit him. She was acting oddly obedient, and now that she and he were alone, she had made the situation work perfectly for herself. He then knew he couldn't marry such a deceiving bitch._

_"You…"_

_"HELP! HELP! PLEASE, HE'S ASSAULTING ME! PLEASE, SOMEONE!"_

_Lucy knew her plan would end her with a beating, but she really didn't want to marry such a womanizing douche. She had to do something._

_"Miss Lucy! What happened— oh my goodness! Miss Lucy! Are you okay? Get away from her!"_

_They ran and pushed Dan out of the way, attending to Lucy. Lucy knew this was all an act, but the kiss made her cry. She'd always imagined her first being with her love or someone she loved, but it was with a douche instead._

_"M-ma'am—hic— h-he tried to rape me…"_

_"YOU LYING BITCH! I DID NOTHING TO YOU! YOU BROUGHT ME HERE! HOW—"_

_"SILENCE! You brought Miss Lucy here and did horrible things to her! Look at her! It's so obvious! Guards! Take this man away!"_

_"NO, I DID NOTHING! I'M INNOCENT! I SWEAR! YOU CONNIVING LITTLE—"_

_Dan was silenced by the guard and they were brought back to the mansion. When Jude saw Lucy and Dan, he looked furious._

_"My baby! What happened? Why are holding my son like that?"_

_"Mrs. Straight, your son was caught amidst a rape attempt. He took Lucy to an outhouse and tried to violate her, but we found Lucy in time."_

_"Lucy, is this true?"_

_Amidst tears, Lucy nodded. To be fair, he had brought her there to violate her. So this was justified._

_"Mr. and Mrs. Straight, I believe this meeting is over. Please, take your son back, I'll talk to you regarding the marriage."_

_"Yes—"_

_"HELL NO! I'M NOT MARRYING THAT CHEAP BITCH! SHE IS FRAMING ME! I WILL NOT MARRY HER! THAT WHORE DESERVES A BEATING! YOU, I WON'T FORGET YOUR FACE, LUCY FUCKING HEARTFILIA!"_

_Lucy winced at his harsh words but remained calm. She waited for them to leave and saw her father walk towards her._

_"Lucy, did he try to violate you?"_

_"Yes, father."_

_"Hmm, alright."_

_BAM._

_"That's for ruining this marriage. I'd go farther, but it seems like you have had enough for today. I won't forget this, whore. Go upstairs. No dinner for you."_

_Lucy silently nodded and went upstairs._

_Oh well, at least the marriage was done for.*_

_"_And that's how I got my father to end a forced marriage. Sure, I got into plenty of trouble, but it was _so_ worth it. That man-whore was eye-raping me."

Erza laughed, and Lucy smiled. She had left out the fact that her father forced her and beat her at the end. There was no need to mention it.

"Lucy, you were such a badass. You still are, but _damn_. That's amazing. Is that why you wanted to meet them?"

"Duh. It was hilarious. I felt a little bad for him but serves the jackass right. He was such a— _wait. _I told Natsu I had my first kiss with him! I didn't!"

"Lucy, you know how angry he'll be?"

"Yes, that's why I'm panicking. What do I do?"

"Tell him whenever you can. Better to have no secrets."

Lucy sighed and started worrying until she glanced at the clock. It was 2:50 pm.

"I gotta go teach, Erza. I'll catch up soon, and thanks."

"Bye, Lucy. Bring some more badass stories to share while you're at it, okay?"

"Of course, peace."

Lucy left and felt her heart drop. She had been holding in the pain from that story while telling Erza. She knew it wasn't a funny story, but she didn't want Erza to be suspicious of her.

She walked back to class but felt like she was forgetting something. She checked her phone to find it dead. That's just a bummer, she'll charge it later.

Now it was time to teach.

It's going to be a _long_ day.

oOo

"Where the _fuck _is she?! She said 1:00 pm! She'd be back at 1:00 pm! Now it's almost 5:00 pm, and she has _not_ responded to my texts and messages!"

"Natsu, calm down, she probably is teaching! Plus, her phone probably died."

"So? School phones?! I'm going to go find her."

"Nats—"

"Leave him, Mira. He's just been extra worried about her, that's all."

"How come?"

Gray sighed and explained the whole story of her getting hurt. Mira gasped, and Cana laughed. She laughed when Gray told her Lucy had knocked out one of the men.

"That's my Lucy! Atta girl!"

"Cana! She was _punched_! How is that not what you're thinking of?"

"So? Lucy's a tough bitch. She won't let a couple of ruffians bother her."

"Cana, Lucy could probably beat the both of us up. We know this already."

"I know! It makes me so proud. I'm a proud mama."

As they teased each other and giggled, they saw another customer enter the bar.

"Asshole, what's up?"

oOo

Natsu didn't know where to go to find her, but he knew he'd go anywhere. He checked her apartment first, and when he saw no car, the color drained out of his face. He entered her apartment and checked everywhere. When there was no sign of Lucy, he left and check the park.

He went _everywhere_. After spending an hour, he decided to head home only to find her car parked in the driveway.

Natsu's hopes rose, and he dashed towards her home.

He opened to door to find Lucy putting her bag on the counter.

"Luce?! Holy shit, Luce!"

Confused, she turned around only to find her boyfriend with a panicked face.

"Natsu? What's wrong—"

Natsu ran up to her and hugged her tightly. He buried his face in her neck and held her waist tightly.

"Lucy, you gave me a heart attack. You said you'd be home by 1, and now it's 6. You didn't let me know, you didn't respond, just what were you thinking?"

Lucy felt guilty, and also remembered what she forgot.

'_I forgot to let Natsu know.'_

Feeling warm-hearted, she hugged him back just as tightly.

"Silly, I was at work. They needed a substitute for 2 more classes, so I took over. I was asked, so I couldn't say no."

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"It slipped my mind, sorry. My phone died in the middle of class, so I wasn't able to see your calls or texts."

Natsu sighed. "You could have called me via school phone."

"Oh my gosh, I could have!" Lucy started to hit her head against Natsu's shoulder as if she were scolding herself for being so dumb.

"It's okay, Luce. Just don't do that again. I almost died worrying about you. I checked _everywhere._"

"Well, if you checked everywhere, then why didn't you come to the college? Wouldn't that have made more sense?"

This time, Natsu hit his head against Lucy. "Argh, I'm such an idiot."

"We know, Natsu."

"Oi! Luce, I waited all day like a patient person, don't you think I deserve a reward?"

"You're right. You do. Come here."

Lucy backed away from Natsu's chest and grabbed his face. She pulled it to her own and kissed him lightly on the lips. It started off as an innocent peck, but Natsu tilted his head to deepen it. That's when things got heavy.

The kiss soon became fiery and passionate, with Natsu's tongue licking Lucy's bottom lip, as if asking for permission She willingly opened her mouth a bit, and Natsu's tongue darted in her mouth. Lucy reciprocated, and dragged her hands up his head into his hair and grabbed chunks of it. Natsu picked Lucy up, and Lucy wrapped her legs around his waist. Natsu brought Lucy to the couch and before he could lay her down, Lucy jumped down and pushed Natsu down onto the couch and got on top of him. She proceeded to remove her shirt, revealing her gray lacy bra. Natsu looked up at her with half love and half lust-filled eyes, and then Lucy brought her lips back to Natsu's, kissing him harshly once again.

Natsu's hands started roaming. He started at her hips, his hands traveling up her sides and landed on her breasts. He was anxious, he didn't want to trigger her memories but his mind was hazy and he couldn't concentrate.

He squeezed her breasts, waiting for a reaction. When she moaned, he took that as a sign to continue, so he kept going. Lucy kept moaning, a bit embarrassed that she was making such a noise. She kept kissing him and signaled that he was okay with him continuing. He gulped and brought his hands behind her to unclip her bra, but blushed when he couldn't figure it out.

"Way to kill the mood." Lucy laughed, assisting her boyfriend.

"Luce, I don't get these fancy things. How do you do it anyway?"

"I'll give you a full lesson later." She winked, making Natsu smirk.

"When'd you become such a damn tease?"

Lucy giggled and unhooked her bra. She brought her hands to cup her breasts to hold the bra against her. Natsu was waiting for her to take it off, but she just held the bra to herself.

"Luce, are you okay? Want to stop?"

"No! No— I just am a bit self-conscious. I have a lot of scars here, so I'm sorry—"

"Lucy. You have _nothing_ to apologize for. They weren't your fault, so quit apologizing for them. You're beautiful in whatever way you come in. I won't leave you or expect you to apologize for _scars_. I'll love you no matter what."

Lucy's heart swelled at his sweet words, and she took off the bra, revealing her bare breasts. She tossed the bra to the armchair adjacent to the couch and brought her lips to his once more.

Feeling like his shirt was in the way, he broke away to take off his own shirt. Once he had done so, he brought Lucy back towards him, and the feeling of chest against chest made him groan. He brought his hands up and nudged Lucy's breasts, asking for permission. When he felt her hand grab him and lead it towards he breasts, he knew that was a yes. He put both hands on one breast each and squeezed, eliciting a moan from the blonde. He then started to massage her mounds, and Lucy arched her back to his hands. He pinched her nipples and rolled his thumb along them. Lucy shuddered while moaning and brought her hands to trace his abs. She knew he was ripped, but the line defining his abs was so _prominent._

Lucy was getting lost in the moment until she realized something.

She was on her period.

She knew it wasn't harmful, but it was her first day, so it would smell bad and be disgusting. She wasn't comfortable having sex while on her period, so she reluctantly removed herself from Natsu.

"Luce? What happened? Did I do something?"

Lucy picked up her bra and hooked it back on. "No, Natsu, I just realized something, so I can't exactly have sex."

Natsu blushed at her choice of words but continued asking. "Why?"

This time Lucy blushed but decided to say it anyway. "I'm on my period, Natsu."

"So? Can't we still have sex?"

"Yes, but I don't want to on my period. It's disgusting and it'll be all bloody. I don't want that for my first time."

Realizing she just admitted she was a virgin, she blushed.

"It'll be my first time too, so I'm okay with anything."

"But Natsu, I'm not."

"I already took all your other firsts, why not this one too?"

"Eventually, Natsu. And I don't think you were my first kiss."

Lucy stopped ice cold. She looked at Natsu and he looked confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Ah, what I meant was, I mean—_shit_. I didn't want to bring it up, but I guess it's better than lying."

"What're you talking about, Luce?"

"Natsu, I had my first kiss when I was 16."

Natsu looked a little hurt, but let her continue.

"See, when I was 16, my father was trying to force me into marrying so he could expand the business. He was 24! He wanted to marry me for my body, so I got rid of him. But to do that, I had to kiss him."

"Why?"

"I had to frame him into doing something horrendous enough for him and his family to cancel the engagement. I framed him for almost raping me, which was half-true, and I had to kiss him so my lips looked like he forced a kiss on me."

If Natsu was angry, it was forgotten. There were hints of playfulness in his eyes while looking at his girlfriend.

"So, you're telling me you canceled the engagement by being smarty pants?"

"Yes?"

"Luce, that so freaking amazing! I knew you were a badass, but this is so cool! I mean it's wrong to frame someone, but if he was a douche then I'm proud of you!"

Lucy just looked at him. "Are you not bothered by the fact I kissed him?"

"I was but then you destroyed him! No need to be mad, that was all in the past. You've got me now, so now the rest of your kisses will be mine."

Lucy smiled and brought herself to Natsu to kiss him. They would have gone at it again, but Lucy pulled away, saying she wanted to shower. She walked away only in her skirt and bra, which oddly turned him on. He slapped himself, making sure he would knock out of it and put his shirt back on.

She was such a damn _tease_.

oOo

"What the fuck are are you _doing_ here?"

Gray was beyond surprised.

_Gajeel_.

He never came to visit, last time being maybe a year ago. He had been working as an apprentice to one of the best mechanics in Fiore. Unfortunately, his teacher lived very far away, so he had to move.

Gray didn't think he'd be back _now_.

"What, miss me?"

Gray couldn't help but feel angry with him. He had left _her_ hanging. Just like Lucy, _she _was a little sister to him as well. He remembered how much she cried when he left. It was _unbearable _to watch.

"Like _hell_, ya lug nut. You know how much she _missed_ you?"

This time, it was his turn to blush. "Whatcha talkin' about, you damn stripper?"

"You know what I'm talking about. You leave your gir—"

"_Gray_. Shut the fuck up. I know. I— 'm waiting to figure to that out. Drop it."

Gray shut up but refused to talk to the idiot.

"Gajeel! How are you? I can't believe it, it's been a _year_! What do you want, it's on the house."

"Get me something strong, I think I'll need it."

"Got it."

Gajeel rubbed his temples. He knew coming back was going to be a headache, but his master refused to teach him any more until he visited. Also, he had to get his problems fixed, it was interfering with his learning.

'_Just _how_ am I going to face you, shrimp?'_

oOo

***IMPORTANT MESSAGE! READ THE LAST BULLET OF THIS A/N IF ANYTHING***

**I think I'll end it there. Goodness! SO much drama. I revealed some of Lucy's past, but it wasn't exactly important, so I didn't mind. **

**Who do you think this girl is to Gajeel? Hmmmmm? I _wonder_ who~.**

**Now we have Gajeel, Gray, Mira, Cana, Erza, Juvia, Elfman, and some others I can't remember off the top of my head. Yeah, we didn't get too many details on them, but it's only one chapter. We'll get more!**

**Ooohhh, things got a little _steamy_ between Natsu and Lucy! I know it's a bit early, but my point was to make the story based off _after_ they started dating. It's probably going to end soon, like maybe 10-15 more chapters, but who knows?**

**IMPORTANT MESSAGE STARTING NOW:**

**— I'm starting a Q&A! It's not going to be a quick thing, I'll be compiling questions from throughout the chapters as we go, as well as answering some questions I make up myself (only cuz I think some things need clarifying). So if any of you guys have ANY questions, _please_, I urge you to message me either privately or review my story! I'll be taking them all into account, so don't leave any out! If I get enough, I'll answer a few at a time.**

**Thanks, my lovelies, Spadey out~**

oOo


	7. NOTICE

Hi my lovelies!

I'm so sorry for going M.I.A on you, it just has been sooo hectic lately with school work and all. I'm almost done with my workload and will soon be able to upload again! I was going to post a notice earlier, but completely forgot.

Another notice - Please keep your questions coming! I really want a good amount of questions for this Q&A because I know there are some confusing things in my story that I'd like to clarify, but I just don't know what may be confusing some readers. So please keep those coming in.

I will regularly start updating in maybe a month's time!

Spadey~


	8. LAST NOTICE (I'M SO SORRY)

Hi my lovelies!

I'm so sorry for leaving you guys like this, I just have so much going on. I also am sorry for this next announcement...

I'm so sorry to inform that I'm discontinuing this story! Before y'all destroy me, lemme explain:

1) Too many plot holes:

\- I think my main issue with this story is that I didn't plan anything out and needed to do so before attempting to make something people will read... I wasn't expecting people to read this so I wrote it to relieve stress from school.

2) Not really much story left:

\- I honestly don't know where to go after this. I think you guys can infer or assume what is about to happen, so I think this is pointless.

3) I have a waayyy better idea!

\- I have a new story idea that is a little more dear to me, and I hope to use Fairy Tail (owned by Hiro Mashima) as a basis to convey that story! I hope my old readers continue to read, and I hope if you guys have any questions, please lemme know!

After a very close analysis of this whole story from beginning to end, this is what I thought and I didn't want to try fixing it this far into the story. I'm sorry, and I will definitely continue to grow as an author and I think baby steps is what it takes.

Last thing:

Those who want me to write an epilogue to this story, please private message me or write a review saying so... I really hate leaving stories discontinued...

Until next time,

Spadey out~


	9. Epilogue

Lucy had known she was meant to be with Natsu for a while now.

Let's be honest, Lucy is a smarty pants so she knew that the type of relationship she was in with Natsu was a lifetime commitment. Lucy had begun to notice Natsu's presence since he became her student and let's just say that she was quite pleased with his appearance.

She always knew that love was a very distant feeling, knowing her heart had been broken and had been played with many times due to her familial issues, but Natsu had mended those breaks and had built on top of them. She knew Natsu was going to be her one and only.

Only if he knew that.

"Lucyyy! I'm here!"

Lucy thoughts were interrupted by her annoying but handsome boyfriend, Natsu.

"Yes, coming!"

It was her 3rd year anniversary of dating Natsu and he had asked her if he could come over for the day to hang out with her.

She went and walked up to the door to open it, and she expected to see a bouquet of flowers or some kind of gift, but all she saw was a Natsu in very casual clothing.

"Heya Luce," he greeted her as he walked in, stealing a peck from her lips. She returned it, but remained confused.

"Uh, hey Natsu, I, uh, thought we were going out?"

"What are you talking about? I'm here to chill. Wanna watch something?"

Either she wasn't getting it or he forgot it was their anniversary. To test her theory, she continued to nudge him.

"Sooo, Natsu, you know what day it is?"

"Um, a Tuesday?"

"Anything else?"

"Hey Lucy, wanna watch a horror movie?"

Lucy felt something in her heart she didn't know she could feel with Natsu; _hurt_. Her heart weirdly ached, and she felt very down at that moment.

"Um, you go ahead, I think I'm going to lie down in my room."

"Luce, are you okay? What happened? Did I do something?"

"No, just feeling a bit tired. I'll catch up with you later."

She walked up to her room and locked the door. '_Is he dumb or did he really forget today marks our 3rd anniversary?'_

Lucy felt tears falling down her face as she lied down on her bed, in the dark. She closed her eyes and felt more tears fall down her face. '_Why does he have to be such an idiot?'_

Lucy knew she couldn't stay home. So, she did the only thing she could think off; call Levy.

Levy had been dating Gajeel for at least 4 months now, and she hadn't been able to spend enough time with her since. She only hoped she would get some emotional support from her best friend.

"Levy, are you busy?"

"_Huh, yeah, I'm out with Gajeel. What's u- are you crying?!"_

"Hey, uh, could we meet? Like, right now?"

"_Gajeel- go home. I have something I need to do. - Yeah! Where do you want to meet?"_

"I don't know, just can we meet?"

"_Yeah, of course, let's meet at the cafe. I'll see you there in 5."_

"Got it."

Lucy ended the call and proceeded to get dressed. She ended up wearing the outfit she had chosen for her anniversary because she felt the need to celebrate it, even if it was without Natsu.

Lucy got her coat and made her way through the kitchen to avoid any unnecessary meeting with Natsu. She grabbed her keys and walked towards the door until Natsu noticed her leaving.

"Luce, where are you goin- Woah. What's with the outfit?"

"Oh, uh, Levy wanted to see me, so I'm going to go meet up with her. Feel free to stay, I'll be back in an hour or so."

"Wait, looking like that? Why are you so dressed up just to meet Levy."

Lucy was honestly stumped. She couldn't just tell him that it was for their anniversary- she wanted _him_ to figure that out.

"Because it was the first thing I found in the closet. Anyways, I'm in a hurry, so I'll see you later."

Natsu was honestly stunned. She was wearing a tight black lace dress that was low cut _and _short. Just who was she fooling with that dress?

"Wait, Lucy, you can't just leave, it's our-!"

By the time he had gotten to that part, she had already driven away. '_Just what the hell happened?'_

oOo

"Levy, he fucking _forgot_! How the _fuck_ does someone forget a day as important as this one?!"

"What did he forget? Your anniversary?"

"Obviously!"

"What? There is no way he forgot! He remembered the two years before this one!"

"Yeah but I guess it just _slipped _his mind! Does he not take our relationship seriously?"

"Lucy, honey, listen. Natsu is the most caring boyfriend I have ever seen, and there is no way he just forgot. Maybe he was planning something or waiting for the right time. Did you talk to him?"

Lucy just froze. Why _didn't _she just talk to him? Leaving suddenly probably created a gazillion misunderstanding.

"Oh, I didn't"

"YOU WHAT? LUCY, HOW MANY TIMES TO I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT TALKING IT OUT SOLVES _EVERYTHING!"_

"I'm sorry! I just- I was so mad!"

"_And _you came here looking like _that_! There is no way he _didn't _misunderstand the situation! Go haul your ass home and _talk to him_."

"But Levy-"

"_Go."_

Lucy knew arguing was pointless, so she sucked it up and left. She knew talking it out was probably better than just leaving, but her ego got in the way.

'_This is the last time I let my impulsiveness run me'_

As she walked out to the car, Lucy saw a man standing by her car. Putting her guard up, Lucy brought her purse closer to her as she identified the man.

"Who are you? What are you doing by my car?"

Lucy got close enough to see his face, and she didn't recognize him. Panicking just a bit, she held her purse tighter and said, "get away from my car."

"You know, I noticed you drive in. Now, you're finally out."

"Who are you?"

"Feisty, eh? Well, how about you come with me and I'll show you a real good tim-"

WHAM! Lucy didn't wait for him to finish to figure out what his intentions were, so she hit him with her purse. While he was in a daze, she ran to her car to open it and sit in it.

Just as she was about to open her door, the man grabbed her arm.

"You bitch! Just where do you think you're going?!"

Lucy was _not_ having it. She was already in a terrible mood, and now to make her day, she was being harassed by a man she didn't know.

"Just FUCK OFF!" Lucy took her free hand and _punched_ the man right in the face hard enough to make him pass out.

Lucy couldn't calm herself down. Her left hand was in _so_ much pain from hitting the man, and how to top it all off, she was crying.

"Just _why_ is it that my day has been _trash_ while everyone else it all dandy? What the _fuck_ did I do to deserve this?!"

Lucy was a mess, but she still had enough common sense to tell her to skedaddle before the man woke up. She opened her front door and drove back home, ready to just sleep.

oOo

As Lucy arrived, she noticed her front lights were off. '_Huh, maybe Natsu left. Just __**great**_'

Depressed and dejected, Lucy reluctantly left her car and opened the front door, wincing at the pain her left hand was in. Noticing it was bloody, she went to the kitchen to bandage it up.

'_Where did I put the bandages?'_

Lucy was so busy trying to find her first aid kit that she didn't see Natsu come up behind her.

"So, you're home? Where did you- Lucy?! What happened to your hand?!"

Lucy had been so busy trying to find bandages that she didn't see Natsu walk up. Slightly annoyed, Lucy continues to search for the bandages.

"Nothing. Just tired Natsu. Go home."

"You can't just tell me it's _nothing_ when you are _bleeding_! Lucy, how did this happen?"

Natsu went up to Lucy and grabbed her arm and inspected it further. His brows furrowed. It looked familiar.

She had gotten into a fight.

"Lucy. _Listen _to me. Everything else aside, we need to talk."

Natsu didn't wait for her to respond as he was already dragging Lucy to the bedroom to patch her hand up. He was getting impatient with her because she wouldn't talk to him.

After setting her down on the bed, he pulled up a chair beside her and started to tend to her wound.

"Natsu, it's fine. It's not that bad."

Lucy was about to continue until she saw Natsu's face. He was _seething _and she knew she was the cause of it. Apologizing was the last thing the blonde wanted to do, but it seemed like this wasn't the time to let her pride get in the way.

"Uh, Natsu, I'm sorry, it's just that I was really mad and as I was leaving, a strange man was trying to hit on me, so I punched him and knocked him out."

Natsu finished bandaging her hand as he got up and sat in front of Lucy on the bed. She wasn't able to make out his facial expressions, so she opted to grab his hand.

"Natsu? Are you okay? I would be more apologetic if it wasn't for the fact you forgot our anniversary! I mean, sure we spend almost everyday together but is it really that hard to remember our freaking _anniversary_?"

Lucy started to get frustrated and continued, "3 years I wasted trying to make you see how much I take our retarded relationship into consideration, and you just up and forget-"

Natsu shut Lucy up with a gentle kiss, and even though Lucy was mad, she really missed it.

Like _really_ missed it.

Lucy unconsciously wrapped her arms around his neck and Natsu wrapped his arms around her waist, and just before she could get lost in it, she pushed him off, remembering her anger from earlier.

"Natsu! You can't just use make-up sex as an apology! I'm really upset with you! Don't make me come over there and kiss you!"

Lucy had realized what she just said, and she blushed. She could see Natsu fighting back some laughter, and she really wondered if this was the same man who was seething earlier.

'_This isn't time for perverted thoughts Lucy!'_

"I-I mean I'll hit you! Yeah, I'll just-"

"Lucy, for the love of god, just shut up and listen to me!"

Lucy shut up immediately since Natsu had finally spoken.

"Okay, listen. I did _not_ forget our anniversary. I-I was just waiting for a good time to mention it. I was going to mention it but you said you weren't feeling well, so I didn't think that was the best time. When you came downstairs, I was going to surprise you but you freaking _left _to meet Levy looking like a _sexy goddess_ so I was mad and confused! What is a boyfriend supposed to do when his girlfriend leaves the house in nice clothing on their anniversary? Then, when you came back, I was going to give you a piece of my mind but then I saw your hand and freaked out. Yes, I really want to high five you for beating the man up but you got hurt! What was I supposed to do? I didn't even realize I made you mad for not mentioning anything about our anniversary. I'm sorry Lucy."

Lucy couldn't believe how honest and true everything was that Natsu just said. Levy was right, he didn't forget. Instead, he was worrying over how to make this one special and was trying to find the right time to say it and all she was doing was making him jealous and confused him. She felt terrible and she _really_ needed to thank Levy later for this.

Lucy went and hugged Natsu. "Natsu, I'm sorry for being impatient. I just didn't realize I was being impatient and ended up hurting your feelings. I will say though, was kind of _doofus_ boyfriend doesn't say a _word_ about their anniversary to their girlfriend _on _their anniversary? It wasn't difficult for me to get mad, so I will say, that was dumb of you. I will say though, what an eventful anniversary."

Natsu and Lucy both laughed and just as Natsu was about to go in for a kiss, he realized something.

"Wait- why did you go wearing that outfit?"

Lucy blushed as she explained, "It was meant for today, but I thought you didn't remember. So instead of celebrating with you, I thought I should just wear it anyway because at least _I_ would celebrate."

"You wore that for me?"

"Well, duh. Who else?"

Natsu couldn't help but smile like a fool. "Well, you know where it would look better?"

"Where?"

"The floor."

Natsu picked Lucy up and dropped her on the bed. He proceeded to kiss her, but Lucy was determined to make the most out of their anniversary.

"N-natsu! I still want to celebrate our anniversary! Let's go out or something!"

Natsu stopped what he was doing and looked at Lucy. "This is celebrating."

"No, you idiot. I want to make the most of today. We can do this later."

Natsu grunted and proceeded to get off of Lucy.

Natsu remembered his initial goal for the day, but he was so nervous since he already goofed. He left to go grab his coat and tried to gain confidence because he knew he was going to ask her today.

He was going to propose.

He knew it was a little early since they were both in their early twenties, but he couldn't imagine spending his life with anyone else. He knew Lucy was the one.

"Natsu, where are we going? Any ideas?"

It was time to make his plan work. He had a place picked out and everything. He felt for the ring in his pocket and it was still there.

'_Whew._'

"Let's go on a walk."

He had picked the fountain by the park to propose because that was where he first met Lucy. It was before he knew she was his teacher.

*" _I knew Gray was an idiot, but seriously, just what the __**fuck**_ _was he thinking? Freezing my scarf was a petty thing to do! Honestly!"_

_Natsu was pretty mad. Gray had known the importance of Natsu's scarf, yet he still decided to use it as a conduit to mess with Natsu._

_Whenever Natsu was mad, he needed to leave. A walk usually cleared up his mind, but today, he was beyond upset. He went to sit by the fountain until he realized someone was already there._

_Just great._

_He decided to suck it up and sit next to her, so he did. He was so mad that he didn't even notice his phone was ringing._

"_Um, excuse me, sir, your phone is ringing."_

_Natsu didn't know whose voice it was but sure was young. He looked to his side and the girl was tapping his arm, only, she wasn't a girl. She was younger than him, a teenager. _

"_Oh, I know. Thanks though."_

_She went back to reading until she got up and left. He thought she left, but she had simply gone to go get water, and as she returned, he noticed her physique. _

_She was __**hot**__._

_He didn't know if it was appropriate for him to be thinking like this of an underage girl, but he couldn't shy away from her well-kept body and voluptuous curves. She __**couldn't**_ _be that young, right?_

_As she was walking back, she dropped her book and he felt the sudden urge to help her, so he did. He went to pick it up for her, and she thanked him like a normal human. He went back to sit down as did she, and at this point, she decided to speak._

"_Are you okay?"_

_He wasn't expecting her to talk to him again, so he stuttered before replying, "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit pissed off."_

"_Want to share? I know we don't know each other, but I can lend you an ear."_

_He looked at her and saw the sincerity in her words and her face. He decided that since he doesn't know her, it won't hurt._

"_Well, if you don't mind. I don't want to waste your time."_

"_Nonsense. I offered. So, what's up?"_

_Natsu proceeded to explain to her the basic facts of what happened and how it made him mad. He, not knowing why, also told her why that scarf was important and how his childhood friend pulled the prank on him._

"_Ah, childish antics I see. Well, have you spoken to your friend? Maybe he feels bad knowing it meant a lot to you."_

"_Yeah, but I was mad, so I didn't try."_

"_He probably knows what he did was wrong, so he probably wants to sort things out with you. There's no way a friendship like this with such deep bonds can go in one prank. Yes, it was a terrible joke, but I don't think he thinks of you as a joke, so I'm pretty sure he is feeling just as upset as you are. Go and try talking to him. Don't lose such an important person in your life. Trust me, you probably depend on him more than you think."_

_Natsu was about to thank the girl until he saw her eyes. There was a sad glimpse in them as if she was remembering a sad moment. She looked up to him and then nodded as if telling him to go fix things._

"_Thanks uh- I never caught your name. I'm Natsu."_

"_Lucy. My name is Lucy."_

"_Well, Lucy, thanks a million. Really, thanks for hearing me out."_

"_No problem. Go and fix things with your friend."_

_He gave her one of the most angelic smiles he had ever seen; so sincere and genuine. It was honestly as if an angel was smiling at him. _

_He waved and left, remembering the smile that saved his friendship.*_

Natsu had already gotten to the park with Lucy and he became nervous. Yeah, he was an impulsive guy, but this wasn't something he was about to slip up because of impulse.

"Uh, Lucy, want to go to the fountain?"

"Oh, yeah! Isn't this where we met?"

"Yeah, we did."

"I remember, you were so mad. I never thought I'd meet my future boyfriend at the fountain. That's so cliché. Like, straight out of a fairy tale."

"Yup. I never thought that nerdy girl next to me was going to be my girlfriend. Heck, I never thought I was going to get a girlfriend."

Lucy laughed out loud on that one. She looked so beautiful, laughing wholeheartedly. That's when he knew there was no doubt in him. He really wanted to make her his.

"Hey, uh, Lucy. I'm really n-no good at these things, so just hear me out."

Lucy turned to him and listened, confused as to where this was going.

"Um, I always thought you were a beautiful girl. Since I met you at this fountain, and I thought you were even more beautiful when you listened to my worries and swept them away with just a smile. Ever since I found out you were my teacher at school, I was worried about how you would think of me since I know I'm no good at school and can be a clutz at some times, but when I saw how kindhearted you were, I knew my worries were futile. I was determined to become close to you, but I never imagined you would date me, nonetheless for 3 years. I've realized that, for these past 3 years, you've made me really happy and there was never a time in these 3 years where I regretted being with you, not even for a second. I've been blessed every second I've been with you. So, Lucy, I want to make you happy for the rest of your life. I want to protect you and love you forever. So, uh, w-will you possibly consider marrying me?"

Natsu was very shocked to find that his beloved was _laughing _at him. Yes, that's right, _laughing_.

'_I knew it, I fucking knew it, I just screwed up and now she's laughing at me. Ah, just great. Now I have to go dig a hole for myself and bury myself.'_

"Natsu, you doofus! Consider marrying you?"

'_Ah, I knew it. She wasn't even thinking about marriage and I just ruined our relationship. Might as well go die now.'_

"Ah, I'm sorry, I-I-"

"That's not how you ask, silly! It's,' will you marry me?'."

'_I knew I fucked up. I can't believe I just messed up __**proposing**_ _to my girlfriend, like what the actual fuck is wrong with-'_

"Yes."

"Holy shit, I knew it. I'm sorry Lucy I didn't mean-"

Lucy didn't wait for Natsu to finish and grabbed his face to kiss him. This shut him up real good for her next sentence.

"Oh my gosh, YES! I'll marry you! Jeez, I didn't think you would freak out so much. Where's my calm and collected Natsu?"

Natsu couldn't believe what Lucy was saying. '_She said yes?! After messing up that much?'_

"W-wait, really? Like you actually want to marry me? You do know this is a 'for-life' kind of thing? You'd be stuck with me forever, you know."

Lucy couldn't help but laugh.

"Natsu, you loner, of course, I'll marry you. I wouldn't be with you till this day if I didn't love you."

Natsu couldn't contain his happiness as he picked her up and spun her around.

"Oh my god, really?! Yes!"

They both laughed and laughed until Lucy inquired, "so, where's my ring, my lovely fiancé?"

Natsu face-palmed. He completely forgot to give her the ring.

"Ah, right here."

The ring was a simple gold band with a pink stone in the middle. It was accentuated with 2 smaller stones right next to it.

Natsu slipped the ring on Lucy's left-hand ring finger and he kissed it. He was so happy that she agreed to marry him.

He took Lucy and he embraced her, happy as he could be.

"You know Natsu, I really love you."

"I love you too, Lucy."

Lucy knew the real reason she taught was to escape her terrible reality, and now, she found someone to take her away and love her for eternity.

This is love.

***END***

**Ah, and there is the end! I'm so sad to see this story go but I promise the next one will be even better! I can't promise when it will come out, so bear with me! I'm so busy because of school. I finally sat down and actually finished the epilogue so you guys can be done with this story! I'm sorry it took so long! I'm such a busy bee. **

**Love you all,**

**Spadey out~**


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